Ian Benjamin

[1973Blade]

An interesting article on the first black United player of the modern era.

Celebrating a Blades pioneer

In this week's edition of UTB - United's official matchday programme - we celebrate the career of a Blades pioneer.

www.sufc.co.uk

 

[KenT]

An interesting article on the first black United player of the modern era.

Celebrating a Blades pioneer

In this week's edition of UTB - United's official matchday programme - we celebrate the career of a Blades pioneer.

www.sufc.co.uk

Sure he scored both in a 2 2 draw match with Leicester. Think we needed to win 9 0 to stay up.

 

[Silent Blade]

We did have a black player in our books before Ian. George Oghani who didnt make it to our first team but later on played for Bolton, Burnley, Scarborough and Carlisle

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

What an interesting article. I remember Benjamin coming on as a sub in the game against River Plate and also that last game against Leicester (also remember the pitch invasions). I guess TK and Bobby Campbell would have been only fairly young back then too. He was yet another talented youngster from that era that was sold on by Sloppy Harry and replaced by a load of old expensive rubbish.

If United would have kept players such of Benjamin, Edwards, Stainrod, Hamson and Varadi we'd have had a cracking attacking line up for much of the 80s, and I dare say we wouldn't have gone down to the 3rd tier and lower.

 

[Davalon]

Was he related to Tristan who played for Notts County?

 

[Silent Blade]

Was he related to Tristan who played for Notts County?

Yes, his older brother. I remember him playing against us when we lost 4-5 to Notts County in the Anglo Scottish Cup in August 1977

 

[Sheffsteel]

Sure he scored both in a 2 2 draw match with Leicester. Think we needed to win 9 0 to stay up.

I went to that game. Leicester had nothing to play for and due to my young age (I was 13).
I went to the game in hope and seriously thought we had an outside chance of winning 9-0.

I always used to stand near the St John Ambulance corner on the John Street terrace close to the away fans.
The Leicester fans were singing “going down…going down…going down. Going down, going down, going down down down”.
We sang back “we’ll be back….we’ll be back…we’ll be back. We’ll be back, we’ll be back, we’ll be back back back”.

I also remember about 10 minutes from the end and young adult next to me on John Street climbed over the fence
and he ran onto the pitch…then went up to a Leicester player and gently punched/ slapped him in the face.

 

[Davalon]

Yes, his older brother. I remember him playing against us when we lost 4-5 to Notts County in the Anglo Scottish Cup in August 1977

Had a feeling he was but wasn't certain. Watched Big Game Revisited last week and they had County at Chelsea around April 1980 and he was playing.

Sadly the fan reaction of the time was all too evident with the noises from the crowd and one fan clearly imitating a primate ☹

 

[Silent Blade]

Had a feeling he was but wasn't certain. Watched Big Game Revisited last week and they had County at Chelsea around April 1980 and he was playing.

Sadly the fan reaction of the time was all too evident with the noises from the crowd and one fan clearly imitating a primate ☹

I had in my head in the last 43 years that they are brothers but now I am not sure after checking on google. Not sure how I first got to know about it but the doubts are now creeping in.

 

[benn5712]

£140,000 to WBA, or am I completely wrong ?

 

[John Street West Terrace]

We did have a black player in our books before Ian. George Oghani who didnt make it to our first team but later on played for Bolton, Burnley, Scarborough and Carlisle

Never knew he started out with us SB had a decent career in lower leagues

 

[coaxingstar71]

We did have a black player in our books before Ian. George Oghani who didnt make it to our first team but later on played for Bolton, Burnley, Scarborough and Carlisle

Arthur Wharton - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[coaxingstar71]

I went to that game. Leicester had nothing to play for and due to my young age (I was 13).
I went to the game in hope and seriously thought we had an outside chance of winning 9-0.

I always used to stand near the St John Ambulance corner on the John Street terrace close to the away fans.
The Leicester fans were singing “going down…going down…going down. Going down, going down, going down down down”.
We sang back “we’ll be back….we’ll be back…we’ll be back. We’ll be back, we’ll be back, we’ll be back back back”.

I also remember about 10 minutes from the end and young adult next to me on John Street climbed over the fence
and he ran onto the pitch…then went up to a Leicester player and gently punched/ slapped him in the face.

We were right too...... 11 years later in May 1990 at Filbert Street!

 

[JJ Sefton]

What an interesting article. I remember Benjamin coming on as a sub in the game against River Plate and also that last game against Leicester (also remember the pitch invasions). I guess TK and Bobby Campbell would have been only fairly young back then too. He was yet another talented youngster from that era that was sold on by Sloppy Harry and replaced by a load of old expensive rubbish.

If United would have kept players such of Benjamin, Edwards, Stainrod, Hamson and Varadi we'd have had a cracking attacking line up for much of the 80s, and I dare say we wouldn't have gone down to the 3rd tier and lower.

United had a great youth set up in the 60s that broke down when Archie Clark died and there seems to have been a recovery in the mid-70s that Haslam sold. We didn’t have much going on after that for a long time. Bassett, for all his achievements, didn’t do much with youth players.

 

[SE1Blade]

United had a great youth set up in the 60s that broke down when Archie Clark died and there seems to have been a recovery in the mid-70s that Haslam sold. We didn’t have much going on after that for a long time. Bassett, for all his achievements, didn’t do much with youth players.

Duffield, Whitehouse, Mitch Ward, Richard Lucas all got in the first team. If you were good enough you got a go. Can’t think of any that didn’t come through in that time that went on to have a good career in the top 2 divisions.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Duffield, Whitehouse, Mitch Ward, Richard Lucas all got in the first team. If you were good enough you got a go. Can’t think of any that didn’t come through in that time that went on to have a good career in the top 2 divisions.

IIRC Duffield was here when Bassett arrived. I’ll give you Ward and Whitehouse but Lucas didn’t do much. For a fair while we didn’t really produce many homegrown players of much quality. That seemed to change around 2000.

 

[SE1Blade]

IIRC Duffield was here when Bassett arrived. I’ll give you Ward and Whitehouse but Lucas didn’t do much. For a fair while we didn’t really produce many homegrown players of much quality. That seemed to change around 2000.

Lucas didn’t do much for us but Bassett gave him a go and he had a good football league career, mainly at Preston.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Lucas didn’t do much for us but Bassett gave him a go and he had a good football league career, mainly at Preston.

I think three players including Richard Lucas in seven years suggests summat was clogging the pipeline for young players coming through.

 

[SE1Blade]

I think three players including Richard Lucas in seven years suggests summat was clogging the pipeline for young players coming through.

I agree. I just don’t put it down to Bassett. If you were good enough he’d give you the chance.

 

[JJ Sefton]

I agree. I just don’t put it down to Bassett. If you were good enough he’d give you the chance.

Quite so, I think the problem is that when you’re as skint as we were back then it makes more sense to buy a 30 year old journeyman for £15,000 where you know what you’re going to get than invest the same money in a kid who could pay off four years down the line. It was probably more Brealey than Bassett.

Either way, our good youth players always seem to come in gluts.

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

I went to that game. Leicester had nothing to play for and due to my young age (I was 13).
I went to the game in hope and seriously thought we had an outside chance of winning 9-0.

The bloke behind me at the turnstiles going into the ground said ‘Knowing Utd, we’ll win 8-0!’ At one stage, that seemed possible…

 

[Davalon]

IIRC Duffield was here when Bassett arrived. I’ll give you Ward and Whitehouse but Lucas didn’t do much. For a fair while we didn’t really produce many homegrown players of much quality. That seemed to change around 2000.

One of the best players I came up against as a kid, along with Ryan Jones, was Ash Fickling.

Prolific striker but Bassett turned him into a right back.

Think he only played one first team game for us before going on to Scunny and Grimsby.

Academy physio at the Pigs now but still regularly see him at our games as he's a proper Blade.

 

[bladestrivia]

Sure he scored both in a 2 2 draw match with Leicester. Think we needed to win 9 0 to stay up.

Pretty sure they were both penalties ?

 

[Moan? Nope-I saw Longhorn]

What an interesting article. I remember Benjamin coming on as a sub in the game against River Plate and also that last game against Leicester (also remember the pitch invasions). I guess TK and Bobby Campbell would have been only fairly young back then too. He was yet another talented youngster from that era that was sold on by Sloppy Harry and replaced by a load of old expensive rubbish.

If United would have kept players such of Benjamin, Edwards, Stainrod, Hamson and Varadi we'd have had a cracking attacking line up for much of the 80s, and I dare say we wouldn't have gone down to the 3rd tier and lower.

Not sure Benjamin’s career stats back up your assertion - certainly not to the extent of the other 4 you mention

 

[I should coco]

Sadly the fan reaction of the time was all too evident with the noises from the crowd and one fan clearly imitating a primate ☹

First I've ever heard of that.

In the 80s I regularly saw United fans abusing other team's black players, but I have no recollection of our fans abusing our own black players. Racist abuse of opponents was widespread, but maybe an element of it was to try and put their players off the game. Please note this is a memory and I am not excusing it at all.

The double standard of racially abusing an opponent but not your own, is difficult to understand and doesn't make things any better, but that's my recollection of the late 70s and 80s.

 

[Davalon]

First I've ever heard of that.

In the 80s I regularly saw United fans abusing other team's black players, but I have no recollection of our fans abusing our own black players. Racist abuse of opponents was widespread, but maybe an element of it was to try and put their players off the game. Please note this is a memory and I am not excusing it at all.

The double standard of racially abusing an opponent but not your own, is difficult to understand and doesn't make things any better, but that's my recollection of the late 70s and 80s.

Misunderstood mate.

It was Chelsea fans abusing Notts County's black players, one of which was Tristan Benjamin (who were not sure was Ian's brother or not).

Remember being on the Kop in the 80s and 90s and regularly hearing individual racist abuse of opposing players, quickly followed by 'Deano...Deano' or 'Oh Tony Tony....'

 

[I should coco]

Misunderstood mate.

Thanks for the explanation.

It was Chelsea fans abusing Notts County's black players, one of which was Tristan Benjamin (who were not sure was Ian's brother or not).

Chelsea were in a different league of racist abuse. If you look into Paul Cannoville's story, he regularly took more stick from his own fans and it continued for years.

 

[JJ Sefton]

One of the best players I came up against as a kid, along with Ryan Jones, was Ash Fickling.

Prolific striker but Bassett turned him into a right back.

Think he only played one first team game for us before going on to Scunny and Grimsby.

Academy physio at the Pigs now but still regularly see him at our games as he's a proper Blade.

I remember reading about kids like Fickling and Steve Circuit in the program.

 

[Silent Blade]

Duffield, Whitehouse, Mitch Ward, Richard Lucas all got in the first team. If you were good enough you got a go. Can’t think of any that didn’t come through in that time that went on to have a good career in the top 2 divisions.

IIRC Duffield was here when Bassett arrived. I’ll give you Ward and Whitehouse but Lucas didn’t do much. For a fair while we didn’t really produce many homegrown players of much quality. That seemed to change around 2000.

All four were already in our books before Bassett arrived

 

[KenT]

Pretty sure they were both penalties ?

Yes you are right. Pitch invasion followed