In 1962 in the FA cup 4th qualifying round 2-0 win over Ellesmere Port Town, my great, great, great grandad on my mothers side made a mazy run down the St.Andrews Drive side avoiding lunging tackles from defenders, police, ball boys and that fat bird with thick specs from the St Johns Ambulance Brigade, before being caught with a full length dive from an athletic supporter named Brian Sabin and ejected from the ground with a lifetime ban.
He was the first black player to ever grace the hallowed Springfield Park turf – well that’s not quite true – he had a tan patch on his hind left leg and a white spot over is right eye but thats not unusual for a 5 year old collie whose name was blackie.
I can’t remember a black Wigan player before Don Page but going back a long way I remember Lee Koo who might have been the first player from outside the British Isles to play for Wigan…or maybe not…the name might be misleading…he did look asian though…Anybody remember where he was from?
I can’t remember a black Wigan player before Don Page but going back a long way I remember Lee Koo who might have been the first player from outside the British Isles to play for Wigan…or maybe not…the name might be misleading…he did look asian though…Anybody remember where he was from?
Just done a bit of searching myself and found this on the altyfans.co.uk site
9. LEE KOO
He remains the only individual of Chinese extraction to have played for Alty although he was actually born in the shadow of Anfield! A former Liverpool trainee, he accumulated Non-League experience with the likes of Northwich Vics, Wigan Athletic and Lancaster City before making his one and only appearance for the Robins in a 3-0 defeat at Morecambe in the NPL on 19th October 1976. Tony Sanders had signed this 25 year old striker on a non-contract basis to cover a short term dearth of available forwards at the club but neither party could agree full professional terms and, consequently, he was never to be seen in an Alty shirt again. He briefly returned to The Drill Field and later played for Stafford Rangers and South Liverpool.
Not a great surprise really but these were the days before Chinese Take-Aways were appearing in Wigan ;) (No offence intended)
There weren’t many black players around in the non leagues days, but the memory of one still frightens me to this day.
Was anyone else as a youngster scared stiff of Leo Skeete of Mosley.