Editing Brendon Batson (section)

==Club career==
Born in [[St. George's, Grenada]], Batson moved with his family to [[Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidad]] at the age of 6 and then migrated from the [[West Indies]] to England when he was nine years old in 1962.<ref name=Bio>{{cite web|url=http://www.furd.org/default.asp?intPageID=33|title=Brendon Batson|website=FURD.org}}</ref> Until then he had never even seen a game of football and a teacher at his school, on watching his early efforts and reflecting on his birthplace opined, "Well, perhaps [[cricket]] is your game."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://caribbean.halloffame.tripod.com/Brendon_Batson.html|title=Brendon Batson: Biography|website=Tripod.com}}</ref> However, he was signed as a schoolboy by [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], and whilst at the club's academy won the [[FA Youth Cup]] of [[FA Youth Cup Finals of the 1970s|1971]].<ref name=ArsenalCup /> Batson signed as a professional at 17 years old at the club and eventually went on to feature for the Gunners' first team, becoming the first black player to do so.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.arsenal.com/news/black-history-month-brendon-batsons-story|title=Black History Month: Brendon Batson's story|publisher=Arsenal F.C.|date=18 October 2023|access-date=5 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hern |first1=Bill |last2=Gleave |first2=David |title=Football's Black Pioneers |date=2020 |publisher=Conker Editions |location=Leicester |isbn=9781999900854 |pages=168–169}}</ref> In all, he made 10 appearances for Arsenal, before moving to [[Cambridge United F.C.|Cambridge United]] in 1974. He spent four years at Cambridge, captaining the side to the [[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division Championship]] under manager [[Ron Atkinson]] in the [[1976–77 in English football|1976–77 season]]. At Cambridge, Batson made a total of 163 appearances and scored six goals altogether.<ref name=Bio /><ref name=Arsenal>{{cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/38/brendon-batson|title=Brendon Batson|website=Arsenal.com|access-date=16 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228164520/http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/38/brendon-batson|archive-date=28 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

When Atkinson moved to [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]] in 1978, he successfully encouraged Batson to follow him and team up with fellow black players [[Cyrille Regis]] and [[Laurie Cunningham]], leaving in a deal worth £28,000. Although not by any means the first black footballers to play professionally in England, the players nicknamed ''Three Degrees'' by Atkinson, a reference to [[The Three Degrees|contemporary vocal trio of the same name]], were pioneering, iconic and extremely popular with West Brom's fans.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://offsiderulepodcast.com/2015/08/07/cyrille-regis-brendon-batson-reflect-on-their-time-at-west-bromwich-albion/|title=Cyrille Regis & Brendon Batson reflect on their time at West Bromwich Albion|website=Offside Rule Podcast.com}}</ref> This trio's fame is to such an extent that in 2012 plans were put forward for a statue of which would honor the footballing trio being purposely displayed in October 2014 at [[The Hawthorns]]. The completed statue was publicly unveiled in New Square in the town on 21 May 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/news/central/2019-05-21/three-degrees-statue-honouring-west-brom-footballers-unveiled/|title=Three Degrees: Statue honouring West Brom footballers unveiled|website=ITV News}}</ref>

Whilst a West Bromwich Albion player, he featured in a [[Len Cantello Testimonial Match|benefit match]] for [[Len Cantello]], that saw a team of white players play against a team of black players.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37924448|title=The match that pitted white players against black players|date=17 November 2016|accessdate=18 November 2016|author=Adrian Chiles|publisher=BBC}}</ref> He played 160 games for the Baggies before his career was cut short in 1982 by a serious knee injury.<ref name=Arsenal /><ref name=Bio />