A new book on one of the greatest talents in Northern Ireland football shines a spotlight on the astonishing ban which almost ended his career before it got off the ground.
After a scintillating amateur career, John 'Jobby' Crossan eventually became one of the most celebrated players of his generation.
From Derry’s Bogside, the talented inside forward played with and against legends of the game.
As captain of Manchester City, he led the side back to the top echelons of British football in the 1960s.
With Sunderland, he was also a fans' favourite thanks to his teak-tough approach to the game and goal-scoring prowess.
In 1965, Crossan also joined an elite group by scoring a hat trick for Northern Ireland.
With 10 goals in a truncated international career, he still managed to outscore his more illustrious team mate, the great George Best.
However, that career almost didn’t happen when, at the age of 20, Crossan received a lifetime ban from football.
The official reason was because of a technical breach of transfer regulations while playing with Derry City.
However, the Derry man believes an undercurrent of anti-Catholic and nationalist bias influenced the move.
In his introduction to The Man They Couldn’t Ban – The John Crossan Story, former BBC sports journalist Richie Kelly writes: “The player himself is totally convinced the Derry society he grew up in – it was a time of political and religious bias against many nationalist areas of Northern Ireland – was the reason he suffered so much injustice as he fought to establish himself as a top professional.”
After a very public split with Derry City over a possible switch to professional football with Sunderland in 1958, Crossan left his home town team to sign for Coleraine.
Derry City reported themselves to football authorities over a technical breach of rules. This led to minor fines for Derry and Coleraine but also a shocking lifetime ban from football for Crossan.
Crossan told Kelly he still believes the ban was “an utterly biased ruling”.
However, he also admits it opened up a new world as he was forced to ply his trade on the continent, one of the first Irish or British players to do so.
After a stint with Dutch champions Sparta Rotterdam he moved to Standard Liege and played in a European Cup semi-final against the great Real Madrid, before returning to England and Sunderland when the ban was eventually lifted.
Kelly’s book covers the career of one of the all-time great Irish players, from his days kicking a ball in the Bogside to the pinnacle of professional football.
The Man They Couldn’t Ban – The John Crossan Story is published by Colmcille Press.
