Mark Walters wouldn’t notice the banana that was thrown in his direction as he whipped the ball into the box and supported the attack. But this was the norm now. In the short space of time that the former Aston Villa starlet had made the move north of the border, he’d been subjected to vilest racist abuse he’d come across in his still burgeoning career. He was 23.

Six years earlier, having just turned 17, the speedy winger had been promoted to the Aston Villa first team just as the Birmingham club were conquering Europe. He hadn’t made the squad for the European Cup final win over Bayern Munich, but he had turned heads and marked himself out as one of the club’s most promising young talents.

Credit – the Daily record

Walters would go on to spend six topsy-turvy years with Villa in the English First Division. The succession of different managers and flirtations with either end of the table would mean there was rarely a dull moment for local lad.

Walters’s performances soon attracted interest from bigger clubs and Scottish side Rangers held a trump card when they came in for the exciting winger in late 1987. At the time, English clubs were banned from competing in European competitions so Scottish clubs were able to attract top English talent.

Walters signed for Rangers and was immediately thrown into the bear-pit of an ‘Old Firm’ clash with bitter rivals Celtic. It was testament to his strength of character that he was able to withstand the torrent of abuse from opposition fans, including monkey noise and various missiles thrown at him; bananas and other fruit, golf balls and darts. The incident at Hearts appeared to be something of a turning point, thanks partly to the media coverage it received and the authorities clamping down on the abuse Walters was suffering. He would go on to play three more seasons for Rangers, winning three league titles and two Scottish Cups before returning south of the border to join Liverpool in the summer of 1991.

He was brought to Merseyside by Graeme Souness, the man who had signed him for Rangers and finished his first season as an FA Cup winner with the Reds. The following season was the first of the newly-formed Premier League and Walters achieved the milestone of becoming Liverpool’s first ever scorer in the Premier League with his goal against Sheffield United in August 1992.

Walters won the League Cup with Liverpool in 1995 and after a number of loan spells with Stoke and Wolverhampton Wanderers, he signed for Southampton as they battled relegation in the second half of the 1995/96 season. At the end of that season, he was picked up by Swindon, who were then managed by his old Rangers and Liverpool boss Graeme Souness. He would go on to play over 100 times for the Robins before ending his career with a spell at Bristol Rovers. He retired from football in 2002 having played over 600 league games and he had one England cap.

Picture credit – The Scotsman

Walters panned two unique eras in British football. He was one of a new wave of black players who were inspired by breakthrough players like Cyrille Regis in the early 1980s but also experienced the birth of the Premier League, which give rise to English club football’s global appeal.

Now the former Rangers and Liverpool star has documented his amazing and inspiring story in a new book called Wingin’ It, a must read for football fans!

Written with journalist and author Jeff Holmes, Wingin’ It, is an unflinching look at career which contained many euphoric moments, but was equally punctuated with gruesome and fearful chapters.

Walters takes readers through his early breakthrough years as a local boy made good at Villa and the challenges he endured, including being lucky to avoid the vile abuse of scout Ted Langford and becoming a hero to the Villa fans.

He documents in detail the horrific racist hate he suffered in Scotland, including a letter from the Ku Klux Klan and being targeted by a hail of missiles like bananas, a pig’s leg and darts. In the book, he reveals how dark humour got him through those early days at Rangers.

Manager Greame Souness jokingly remarked to him that ‘there would have been more problems if you were a Catholic than the fact that you are Black’. However, when the Gers did sign former Celtic striker Mo Johnston a year and a half after Walters arrived, Walter recalls saying to him “Mo, you’ve taken the pressure right off me!”

In later life, Walters reveals that it was his own faith that helped him reconcile his experiences in Scotland and ultimately forgive those who had racially abused him.

Walters also opens up about the regrets he would ultimately have about what seemed like a dream move to Liverpool and how the departure of Souness and the promotion of Roy Evans would mark the beginning of the end of the his time on Merseyside.

Walters response to racist abuse was always that he had to work twice as hard on the pitch. Unfortunately, it is a philosophy he applies to coaching opportunities in his post-playing days. Despite enlightenment among fans and managers about black players in the English game, in his book, Walters details his frustrations at the lack of coaching opportunities for black coaches. Even with the badges and qualifications – and his own mantra of ‘working twice as hard’ – it seems the former Aston Villa and Liverpool star still has some hurdles to clear.

Wingin’ It is a brutally honest and refreshing account of what is like for a black player to play in a transformative era of British football.

Wingin’ It: The Mark Walters Story by Jeff Holmes is out now.  Pitch Publishing (£18.99).

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