We like to think we know a thing or two about black footballers at Historycal Roots so it was a real pleasure, and great surprise, when we attended an event at the Guyana High Commission in London to hear about Andrew Watson, someone we knew little about.
Watson captained the Scotland side that beat England 6-1 in England in 1881, a result that is there in the history books but hardly gets a mention these days. What is truly surprising is that Scotland’s captain that day was Andrew Watson, the son of a white Scottish father and a black Guyanese mother. That isn’t Watson’s only claim to fame as Tony Talburt, author of a recent book about Watson (published by hansib publications), explained to a small but enthralled audience at the Guyana High Commission on 9th March. Buy the book to find out more about this remarkable footballer.
Tony was an enthusiastic presenter who admitted that football history wasn’t his normal focus but he had clearly become fascinated by Watson and hinted that there was still more to be uncovered. It was a pleasure to meet Tony and chat to him after his talk, we may even forgive him for being a Tottenham fan!
