The abuse which marked the occasion of Cyrille Regis's England Under 21 debut in September 1978 was so extraordinary that you wonder how on earth it evaded investigation, even in those days of deeply endemic discrimination.
Garth Crooks scored a hat-trick against Denmark and was promptly subjected to racist taunts from a pocket of England's own fans. Regis was so resigned to this that the tone with which he addresses it in his autobiography barely reaches the realms of anger. 'It amazed us,' wrote Regis. 'Why boo your own players?'
The black players who blazed a trail with Regis back then will tell you that he could brush off the bigots because he always saw the bigger picture.