In this feature, I turn the spotlight onto a pioneering Nigerian footballer, who appeared for Prescot Cables, back in the early 1960’s. In an era of considerable racial tensions, it is remarkable, now, to think that Prescot Cables then featured two black footballers in the same side.
A version of this article appeared in the digital matchday programme for the Prescot Cables v Morpeth Town, Northern Premier League game on Saturday 19th October 2024.
Born on 7th June 1939, in what is now Imo state in south-east Nigeria, Elkanah Barrington Onyeali’s talent for football became apparent when he attended Holy Ghost College in the state capital, Owerri. It was while studying there that Onyeali signed for Port Harcourt Red Devils, for whom he starred in the Nigerian Cup final of 1958, which Port Harcourt won, 6 - 0.
The following year saw Onyeali receive his first call up to the national team. On 10th October 1959, the Port Harcourt star marked his international debut by scoring twice in a 3-1 win over Ghana, played at the King George V stadium in Lagos. A month later he would make history by scoring four times in his Nation’s record victory a 10 - 1 win over Dahomey, which is now Benin. It would be 32 years before that individual achievement was equalled by Rashidi Yakini, who scored four times in a 7 - 1 win over Burkina Faso.
In the last quarter of 1959 Onyeali would score 10 goals in his first six games for Nigeria.
During the summer of 1960, Onyeali moved from Nigeria to the Wirral to study electrical engineering at Birkenhead Technical College. Seeking the familiarity of playing a familiar game in his new environment, Onyeali wanted to combine his studies with playing football, and hoped that his blistering turn of pace would impress local clubs.
Onyeali wrote to both Everton and Liverpool to ask for a trial, although it was said that neither was interested. Liverpool manager, Bill Shankly later refuted this, saying, “I remember well Onyeali coming to Melwood soon after we began training for the season. He asked for a run out and we gave him one. At that time it was possible only to put him in among the youngsters in a trial match. He showed promise but, as I explained to him, the lads were not reacting to his type of play. He pushed out some lovely passes and ran into position for returns, but they never came. At the end of the trial I invited him to come back and train with us, for it was apparent that he was not, at that stage, fit enough to do himself full justice. I would certainly have given him every opportunity to have played with the more senior players, but he never came back. The next I heard of him was that he had signed for Tranmere. He was never turned away by Liverpool. I never turn anybody away without the most careful scrutiny of possibilities, and as far as I was concerned, I was looking forward to seeing him again.”
He was recommended to Tranmere Rovers by his brother, who was a schoolteacher on Merseyside. Rovers did take a chance on the student and he did enough, in three Cheshire League matches for Tranmere Reserves, to be offered a contract for the 1960-61 season.
In an era racial disharmony in the UK, just two years after the ‘race riots’ in several UK cities, this was a bold moved by Tranmere Rovers. Discrimination was open and rife. Black people were being turned down for jobs and housing, and would often be refused service at shops, and even discouraged from attending church. It would be more than five years before the first Race Relations Act was passed in the UK.
The centre-forward, who quickly became known as Al or, less flatteringly, as Midnight, was the first black player to appear in Tranmere’s First Team. Putting that into it’s context, the first black player to reach Everton’s First Team was Cliff Marshall in 1975, while Howard Gayle would achieve the same milestone for Liverpool in 1977. Tranmere we’re really ‘blazing a trail’ back in 1960.
Onyeali’s debut against Bournemouth on 3rd September 1960 was a memorable one. He electrified the ground with searing pace and lethal shooting ability. Back home he was known as ‘Mercedes’ for his sports car-like speed. On his Rover’s debut, Onyeali scored twice in a thrilling 4 - 3 victory. Elkanah became an instant favourite with Rovers fans.
However, the Rovers team of the era was not a strong one and would suffer both their heaviest football league defeat - a 9 - 2 loss at QPR (with a goal from Onyeali) - and concede 115 goals, meaning that the Onyeali’s performances were frequently in a losing cause.
Onyeali seemed to consider his sport as a pastime and always put his studies first. As he explained in a newspaper interview, “My Father at home in Nigeria would be very angry with me if he found out I was playing football rather than studying,” Tranmere tried to be accommodating to his studies, even persuading the Technical College to switch some of his teaching so that he would be available for a midweek evening match. Onyeali also prioritised international football.
In October 1960, Tranmere agreed to release Onyeali to fly back to Nigeria, after being selected to play against Ghana as part of the national Independence celebrations, but they did negotiate a reduction in the time that he would be away, so that he would only miss one game for the Rovers. However, much to the anger of the Tranmere manager, Peter Farrell, Onyeali failed to return, as agreed, after extending his stay for a further week to visit his parents - despite Rovers and the FA Secretary, Sir Stanley Rous sending ‘return at once’ messages to Nigeria, and enlisting the assistance of the Nigerian FA, causing him to miss Tranmere’s FA Cup tie against Bury.
After a two week absence, Onyeali was disciplined by the Tranmere board, but was immediately back in the side for their League Cup victory over Crewe. By December 1960, a new manager, Walter Galbraith, had taken over at Prenton Park and dropped Onyeali. The Liverpool Echo noted, When the weather was fine earlier in the season he played quite well for the first team, but once the colder days arrived he found the elements against him and he suffered from what seemed to be a permanent chill for months, being unable to play or train.”
In April 1961, Tranmere again gave permission to Onyeali to travel to Nigeria for another international match against Ghana and, once again, he failed to return to Birkenhead, as agreed. Indeed, more than two weeks after he travelled to Nigeria, he was reported missing and failed to report to the Nigerian team HQ for their African Nations Cup qualifier against Ghana in Lagos! The Liverpool Echo noted that, “the Nigerian has little regard to the terms of his contract with Tranmere. Onyeali has his own ideas about club discipline accepted as normal by every other player in the game. ”… there can be no doubt that his name is already on Tranmere’s non-retained list.”
Onyeali did finally show up for the match, scoring in a 2-2 draw. In May 1961, After making 13 appearances and scoring 8 goals, Onyeali was released by Tranmere on a free transfer.
In August 1961, he was signed by New Brighton, alongside his fellow Nigerian, Fabian Duru, who was also studying in Liverpool. Onyeali was due to make his debut for the Rakers against Clitheroe, but the club announced that the player had broken his contract and his engagement had been terminated. Once again, his disdain for the terms of his contract was evident.
In January 1962, Onyeali signed for Holyhead Town, of the Welsh League. Holyhead were managed by the former Tranmere manager, Peter Farrell, who had taken him to Prenton Park.
At the start of the 1962-63 season Onyeali played a couple of games for Newport County, although he was training at Prescot. As he was still studying in Liverpool, he wanted to reduce his travelling and was signed by Cables in September 1962. Another Nigerian student, Fabian Duru, had joined Prescot Cables from New Brighton at the start of the 1962/63 season, and had already established a place in the Cables’ starting line-up, playing two games, before the arrival of Onyeali. Bert Taylor, writing as “Bon” in the Prescot Reporter, noted that Onyeali had been anxious to join his friend Duru at Prescot.
The pair quickly formed a formidable, and productive, left-wing partnership, with Onyeali at inside left, and Duru outside him, and quickly became favourites of the Hope Street aficionados. Onyeali scored two goals on his debut, against Bacup, and bagged 10 goals in his first 7 appearances for Cables, including a hat-trick in a 9 - 0 win over Lytham. Duru also contributed a couple of points and several assists.
Onyeali finished the 1962/63 season as the clubs leading scorer, and notched a further 8 goals in 6 matches at the start of the following season, before leaving Cables in October 1963 to take up employment in London.
After leaving Cables, it appears that Onyeali ceased playing football altogether. There is no evidence of him playing for anyone else. It is known that he pursued educational and employment opportunities in the United States and settled in Chicago, before returning to Nigeria in 1980.
Elkanah Onyeali passed away in Mbieri, Nigeria in August 2008, aged 69.
Although something of a renegade to football managements, he left a remarkable legacy, which was recognised by the Nigerian website, SuperSport, which placed him at 30, in a 2011 poll of the 50 greatest Nigerian footballers.
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