Dave Bennett’s struggle against racism and four broken legs is recalled in an autobiography reviewed by Eric Brown.
BY ERIC BROWN
He stood there like a Colossus, triumphant among the wild celebrations in progress around him.
I’d managed to worm my way into Coventry City’s Wembley dressing room after their shock FA Cup Final win over Spurs in 1987 and was seeking an exclusive quote from matchwinner Dave Bennett.
The tricky winger, who had scored one goal and made another in Coventry’s 3-2 win, was clearly the focus of his teammates’ jubilation.
In between the banter, the missile-throwing and champagne showers, I managed to conduct some sort of interview with a buzzing Bennett.
He’d already sampled the downside of FA Cup Final fortunes when six years earlier, he played in the Manchester City team defeated by Spurs.
Revenge was sweet and Bennett wanted everyone to know. Oh, and did I mention he remained stark naked throughout the whole time I stayed in the Coventry sanctum?
Big player and big man, his Coventry colleagues reckoned. Always turned up for the big games. Let us leave Benno still rejoicing and still unclothed to examine the rest of his career, along with author Rich Chamberlain.
Together with glory moments, Bennett recalls suffering plenty of football’s grimmest experiences in his autobiography “Benno: My Life in Football”.
He was unprepared for the racism experienced in his early career, was eased reluctantly out of Coventry, broke the same leg four times and somehow failed to gain England recognition despite consistently featuring among the most devastating wingers in the country.
On 14 April 1979, a 19-year-old Bennett made his Manchester City debut as a substitute for Tommy Booth against Everton who would go on to finish fourth in the Premier League. As he passes an Everton defender, he is brought down and the player hisses: “Do that again you black bastard and I’ll break your leg.”
Bennett wonders if this is what first-team football is all about but decides to man up and deal with it. In those unenlightened times, some sort of racist incident occurred in many matches according to Bennett. “I grew up with racism,” he says. “It was all around me.”
What really upset him though was an insult from an English football icon, a hero of the 1966 World Cup triumph. Not a defender waiting to cut him down on the pitch but a defender allowing his words to deal out punishment.
For that losing Manchester City-Spurs FA Cup Final, Brian Moore commentated for ITV with Jack Charlton as pundit. Bennett recalls: “There were only two black players on the pitch, myself and Garth Crooks. Charlton knew his name but not mine. To have a commentator call me ‘the little coloured boy’ and not know my name showed a lack of respect.”
Bennett’s clever wing play, ability to cross under pressure and willingness to fit seamlessly into the centre made him a favourite at Coventry after switching from City. If he wasn’t turning fullbacks inside out, he’d drift infield alongside Cyrille Regis to score plenty of goals. Spurs manager David Pleat admitted Bennett turned his fullback Mitchell Thomas into a human corkscrew during that 1987 final.
Nine months out with a broken leg gave Benno plenty of opportunity to reflect on his situation. He’d consistently delivered the goods for Coventry but when push came to shove, he considered his new contract offer pretty average.
He wanted a four-year deal but reluctantly accepted three years. “The deal wasn’t much of an increase. It would have been better for me financially to have been a two-bob player who bounced from club to club. I had six years in a good Coventry side but would have made more money as a journeyman going from club to club collecting signing-on fees.”
And that’s what he became with stints at Cardiff, Sheffield Wednesday, Swindon and Shrewsbury. His quadruple broken leg began to take a toll and he drifted into non-league with Nuneaton Borough, Atherstone Town and Hinckley Athletic before quitting.
His qualities were recognised by his managers including Malcolm Allison, John Bond, Bobby Gould, John Sillett, Len Ashurst, Ron Atkinson, Ossie Ardilles and Glenn Hoddle.
He sums up his career thus: “Not bad for a little coloured buy eh?”
“Benno: My Life in Football” with Rich Chamberlain is published by Pitch Publishing, priced £25.
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