It’s taken 27 years for Jude Bellingham to become No.53 from the Black Country
When Jude Bellingham came on as a substitute for England on Thursday night, he became the 53rd Black Country-born footballer to play for his country, writes Patrick Talbot.
It had been 27 long years and a month since a Black Countryman had last played for England. Two, in fact.
Rowley Regis-born Carlton Palmer and Lee Sharpe, from Halesowen, both played for England in a losing World Cup qualifier in Rotterdam, which effectively cost England boss Graham Taylor his job.
Jude, born in Stourbridge 17 years ago, was in Birmingham City’s first team for much of last season before switching to play his football for Borussia Dortmund in Germany.
He becomes the third England international from Stourbridge, following on from Joe Bache (Villa) and Pat Beasley (Huddersfield Town).
He now joins an impressive array of England stars who hailed from the Black Country.
The top 10 by number of caps awarded is 25 Jesse Pennington (Albion, 1907-20); 24 Bert Williams (Wolves, 1949-55); 23 Don Howe (Albion, 1957-59) and Steve Bloomer (Derby & Middlesbrough, 1895-1907); 19 Allan Clarke (Leeds United, 1970-75); 18 Duncan Edwards (Manchester United, 1955-57), Billy Walker (Villa, 1920-32) and Carlton Palmer (Sheffield Wednesday, 1992-93); 16 Billy Bassett (Albion, 1888-96); and 13 Steve Bull (Wolves, 1989-90).
The list of players includes many greats, and it is difficult to pick out individuals.
The much-respected Jesse ‘Peerless’ Pennington, from West Bromwich, played as a full-back in most of England’s games immediately before and after the First World War and was club captain in the one season Albion won the First Division in 1919-20.
Fitness fanatic Bert Williams, always proud to say he was Bradley-born, kept goal for Walsall and then for Wolves in their great days of First Division success from the late 1940s to much of the 1950s, where they were rarely out of the top six when he was in goal.
Don Howe, Wolverhampton-born despite playing for Albion, is as well-known now as an international coach but he gained his 23 caps in successive games as a full-back in the late 1950s.
Steve Bloomer, from Cradley although he left for the East Midlands as a child, was quite frankly a goal-scoring machine at club and international levels. He managed 28 goals in 23 internationals!
And, of course, there was the incomparable Duncan Edwards, Dudley’s contribution to the highest echelons of football. Although he died from injuries after the Munich Air Crash at the tender age of 21, he had already played 18 England games and scored five goals.
Let’s hope that Jude Bellingham has a chance to establish himself in the England side and to take his place among the ‘greats’ of Black Country football!
Patrick Talbot is the author of ‘White Shirt, Black Country.’ The second edition of the book was published earlier this year by the Black Country Society and can be purchased from their website Blackcountrysociety.com for £12 (including postage & packaging).
