2 weeks ago Still a municipality astatine the clip - it wasn't granted metropolis presumption until 1992 - Sunderland was a antithetic satellite to the 1 successful which Gregoire had grown up. Born successful 1958 successful the Toxteth country of Liverpool to Windrush Generation parents from the Caribbean land of Dominica, helium was raised successful Bradford, different multi-cultural city.
By contrast, according to the Census figures, hardly 1% of a Sunderland colonisation approaching 300,000 successful 1981 was of African-Caribbean origin.
A 5th of the League's 92 clubs had yet to motion a achromatic subordinate by 1978, the twelvemonth Nottingham Forest's Viv Anderson became the archetypal to assertion a elder England cap.
"I knew lone 1 different achromatic chap successful Sunderland, helium was astatine the polytechnic," remembers Gregoire. "Wayne Entwistle [a achromatic striker, who signed the aforesaid time successful a £30,000 woody from Bury] shared digs with maine for a portion and was a bully guy, but it was rather a lonely time."
Gregoire cites the club's 1973 FA Cup-winning skipper Bobby Kerr and experienced midfielder Mick Docherty arsenic 2 colleagues who made him consciousness welcome, successful a debut play wherever helium made 8 first-team appearances.
But helium felt the dressing country cognition towards him alteration successful the summertime of 1978, with a mates of notable incidents connected a pre-season circuit of Kenya.
"After 1 game, each these children ran connected to the transportation and went up to 1 of our players and gathered circular him," helium says. "But erstwhile they'd gone helium came to maine and wiped his hands connected my shirt. I thought that was disgusting.
"It was similar helium thought those children had disease, and wanted to hitch it connected me! Why me? Because I'm black, is that why?"
Later, astatine a post-match reception astatine the location of a affluent section achromatic family, the squad lined up to conscionable the hostess.
"She shook the manus of the players connected my right, bypassed me, past shook the manus of everyone else," helium says.
"I didn't discarded a second. I conscionable calmly and coolly walked retired of the location and connected to the squad bus. I would alternatively beryllium retired there, with lions and hyenas, than beryllium inside, being insulted similar that.
"Not 1 idiosyncratic came to spot however I was, oregon to connection immoderate comfort. It was lone erstwhile they'd finished eating and drinking, laughing and joking, that they came filing backmost connected to the coach.
"I thought that was a disgrace. That pistillate insulted me, and by insulting maine she insulted the club. There was nary loyalty, nary integrity – I felt abandoned."
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