Mark Walters – Rangers

On 2 January 1988 Mark Walters’ first match in Rangers colours, at Celtic Park, was marred by vile racism from the home support, with bananas and other assorted fruit items thrown onto the pitch as supporters made monkey noises and gestures any time he collected a pass or ran down the wing with the ball.

Walters had signed for Rangers from Aston Villa on 31 December 1987 for a fee of £500,000, arriving into Graeme Souness’s overhaul of the club that already included Terry Butcher, Chris Woods and Graham Roberts. He had made more than 220 appearances for Villa and scored 48 goals before the move.

Souness recruited Walters two days before the Old Firm fixture and the winger accepted the manager’s vision for the club. Walters recalled Souness ringing him at his mother’s house and showing him the stadium, which convinced him to join.

The abuse continued. Rangers banned a supporter after similar behaviour at Ibrox during Walters’ first home game against Morton. The incident that forced national attention came at Tynecastle on 16 January 1988, where fruit was thrown and taunts were directed at Walters. Hearts chairman Wallace Mercer apologised and the Scottish FA president David Will issued a statement deploring the conduct.

Walters responded by focusing on his football. He said his upbringing taught him to make the issue not an obstacle and to play better. He scored a notable solo goal against Raith Rovers in a Scottish Cup replay on 10 February 1988 and went on to play more than 130 matches for Rangers, scoring 52 goals and winning three league titles and two League Cups.

The authorities and clubs took steps to confront racism in the years that followed and initiatives such as Show Racism The Red Card became part of the game’s response. Mark Walters left Rangers in 1991 for Liverpool and his record at Ibrox stands as both a sporting achievement and a reminder of a period the game had to confront and change.