The Lion Who Never Roared: The Star Robbed of England Glory

by Matt Tiller

The Lion Who Never The Star Robbed of England Glory is the incredible story of Jack Leslie, the only black player in the Football League when he was selected for his country in 1925 only to be dropped due to the colour of his skin. Jack had an illustrious career at Plymouth Argyle with 137 goals in 400 games. He became the league' s first black captain before an eye injury forced him to retire. In his 60s he joined West Ham United ... to shine the boots of World Cup winners like Bobby Moore. Nearly a century after Jack' s heyday, research for this book helped bring recognition at last from the FA, who awarded him an honorary cap in 2023, while a campaign led to a statue that now proudly stands outside Home Park in Plymouth. Drawing on material from the Leslie family archive, Jack' s legacy is unfurled in this heart-breaking yet inspiring biography, which includes contributions from Viv Anderson, the first black player to win a full England cap, and Sir Trevor Brooking.

Genres: Football

240 pages, Hardcover

Published October 23, 2023

About the author

Matt is a writer and producer who co-founded the campaign which successfully fundraised for a statue of Jack Leslie who was the first black player to be selected for England in 1925. Leslie was denied the chance to play for his country due to the colour of his skin. The Lion Who Never Roared, Matt's first full length book, is a biography of Jack Leslie written with access to the family archive.

Matt writes and produces for radio and TV in the UK and is a long-time collaborator of comedian, Michael Spicer. In his first job as a radio reporter, Matt covered events at Plymouth Argyle FC, the club he supports and where Jack Leslie played in the 1920s and 30s.

Matt is also a songwriter and his website has more information about his work and live events etc... www.matttiller.com

Reviews

[Kevin Treweeks · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's important that this book was written and if you are a football fan you should get a copy.
it does suffer from a couple of problems.
it is the hagiography that it said it wouldn't be in chapter one. He can be real and an Argyle legend.
Also a lack of editing lead to the constant repetition of the same comments on racism, his relationships , and the same incidence of selection which became irritating.
but surely less so than the usual drivel of sporting biography.
Again this story is significant and well done Matt Tiller for doing the research and getting it published

[Christopher Prew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every football fan should read this. I'd heard about Jack's call-up early on in my #pafc supporting life,so to see it written down in all it's detail is great. So glad he finally got his cap.