Chris Kamara was the first black player to make a first team appearance for Swindon Town, scoring on his League debut soon after signing for the club in August 1977. He went on to total almost 300 games during two spells at the County Ground.

Then, following a 20-year playing career, he moved into management before enjoying more fame and fortune as a television pundit.

But it was a far different story for Nigerian Titus Okere, the first black player to be given a professional contract by Town, during this week in January 1953.

Okere first appeared on the radar in September 1949 when he was a member of a Nigerian XI that toured England, playing nine games against amateur clubs and representative sides. Most were based in the London area and attracted great interest, the fixture against Dulwich Hamlet being seen by around 18,000.

The tourists won only two but certainly made an impression, the Daily Graphic noting that Okere – known as Golden Boy in his native Africa – ‘must be worth £15,000 and a row of houses’.

Another was one of Okere’s teammates back at Railway FC in Lagos, Tesilimi Balogun. Nicknamed ‘Thunder’, he made 15 appearances for Queens Park Rangers in 1956/57 before returning to Lagos, where a stadium is now named in his honour.

Exactly when Okere signed on at the County Ground is unclear as he did not arrive in the UK until February 2. Nine days later he made his debut in a Combination game against Bristol City, watched by a gate of 1,900.

Conditions were alien to the newcomer, with frost starting to settle on a muddy surface and under floodlights. But he still drew praise from Adver reporter ‘RCE’, who commented that Okere showed ‘deft touches with both feet’.

And it was also noted that he had achieved this wearing ‘standard boots’. He had previously only played in bare feet or had worn elasticated ankle straps, so the traditional boots would have presented another challenge for him.

By the beginning of March Division Three football was no nearer for Okere as he was consigned to the third team, playing in the Gloucestershire Senior League. He scored his first goal for Town in a convincing victory over bottom of the table Lydney.

Again the Adver writer enthused ‘speedy wing runs were alternated with tricky footwork from Okere, while his centres were models of accuracy’. He capped this with a clever chip into the far corner of the net to score Swindon’s seventh of 14 goals.

But the manager who had signed Okere, Louis Page, was soon on his way out of the County Ground and with him went any chance of the Nigerian getting into the first team. Page’s successor Maurice Lindley did not include him in his plans and he was released, joining Chippenham United.

Apart from goalkeeper Sam Ibiam, Titus Okere is the last surviving member of the touring side of over 60 years ago and, now 83, lives in the Medway towns - by Paul Plowman