The campaign to erect a statue of former Plymouth Argyle player Jack Leslie is currently gathering pace.
Leslie, who played for the Pilgrims between 1921 and 1935, was informed of his call up by England face Ireland in 1925 by then Argyle manager Bob Jack. Shortly afterwards his name mysteriously disappeared from the team sheet and it is widely speculated that his call up was withdrawn when it was discovered by the FA selection committee that he was black. Leslie was known as 'a versatile player' who was known throughout the country 'for his skill and complexion' in an era when the Pilgrims could attract crowds of over 30,000.
However, plans are currently in place for the permanent tribute to Leslie.
Had he appeared for England, Leslie would have been become the first black player to have played for the Three Lions as well as being the first player contracted to the Pilgrims to appear for England. It wouldn't be until 1978 when a black player would be selected for England when Viv Anderson was selected against Czechoslovakia.
Born in Canning Town to a Jamaican father and an English mother Leslie joined the Pilgrims from Barking Town in 1921. During his 14 years at Home Park Leslie, who played as an inside left, formed a legendary with outside left Sammy Black - another player revered by the Pilgrims to this day - and they were key figures in the Argyle side who won the Division Three South title in the 1929-30 season.
Leslie is also ninth in the list of all-time Plymouth Argyle appearance makers with 401, in which he scored 137 goals - which places him fourth in the club's all-time top scorers list. He retired at the end of the 1934-35 season.
The boardroom in the Argyle's new Mayflower Stand has already been named after Leslie, but the erection of a statue of him would create a permanent reminder of someone who wasn't only a pioneer for black players, but also one of Plymouth Argyle's all-time greats.
His final appearance for the Pilgrims came on December 29, 1934 in a 3-1 win over Fulham, which also saw him score his final goal for the club.
After his retirement from playing Leslie ran a pub in Truro and later returned to his native East London where he worked as a boilmaker before he was given a job in the bootroom at West Ham United. The manager who employed him was Ron Greenwood, who would later become the manager responsiblef for selecting Anderson as England's first black player in 1978. Amongst the players whose boots he was responsible for looking after included World Cup winners Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Sir Geoff Hurst.
Leslie died 1988 and three years after his death Dwight Marshall, also a striker, joined the Pilgrims from Grays Athletic - which is 11 miles from Barking - for a fee of £35,000. Over two spells with Argyle Marshall was Argyle's top scorer in the 1991-92 and 1998-99 campaigns, in an era where black players were common place at both club and international level in England.
