Chris Kamara was the first black player to represent Brentford in the Football League and, on the anniversary of his Bees debut, we look back on his career in West London.

This Black History Month, we celebrated the Club’s rich history of black players in a new video, which included the former midfielder's contribution between 1981 and 1985.

Kamara, who is more recently renowned for his work on Sky Sports, previously discussed how his move to the Bees came about.

He told the Club in 2019: “I’d been at Portsmouth, went to Swindon and then got another move back to Portsmouth.

"Frank Burrows, who was my coach at Swindon, got his first manager’s job at Portsmouth, so he quite liked me and thought I could do well for him again.

“The chairman was the same chairman in my first period there - a fella called John Deacon, who’s no longer with us.

“I played a few games, scored a couple of goals early on from midfield, and then Frank was actually at a funeral, a fella called Fred Ford, an ex-manager.

“I got a call from the secretary and the secretary said, ‘The chairman, John Deacon had agreed a deal with Brentford Football Club - a swap deal with David Crown.'

“What they agreed to do was for me to go and meet Fred Callaghan. Fred sat me down with Ron Harris, Chopper, who I knew very well, a legend.

“I didn’t know Fred so I had a chat with them two and they outlined their thoughts for Brentford Football Club.

“So then it became a different scenario: we'll soon be into the Championship and out of League One, and then, if we get the right backing from Martin Lange, who was the chairman at the time, another one God rest his soul, then Brentford could go and join the likes of QPR and Fulham in the top division.

“I thought, ‘Yeah, why not? Let's give it a go’.”

As a black footballer in the 1970s and 1980s, it wasn't easy for Kamara, who explained how it was difficult both on and off the pitch at times.

But, when Kamara arrived at Brentford, things were different and he described how proud he was to become the Club's first black player.

“My first game was against Burnley and it was quite momentous really, but it wasn't really thought of much back in the day," he stated.

“I was the first black player to play for Swindon, the first black player to play for Brentford in 1981, so that wasn't like a momentous thing.

“If it was this day and age you, the scenario would be totally different. Social media, the media and television would be absolutely all over it but, back then, it was just a little line in the paper.

“I made my debut against Burnley in a 0-0 draw. That season, I scored 11 goals from midfield, no penalties as well I might add. I wasn't on penalties that season - I could have ended up being Brentford’s top scorer if I was. I think that added me to the crowd straight away.

“If you look back into the early 1980s when racism was rife, even at Swindon there might have been a few murmurings, there were certainly murmurings when I was at Portsmouth.

“There was a National Front section in the crowd at Portsmouth, only a small minority, but they would make themselves heard by me entering the field of play.

“I can honestly say, throughout the whole of my time at Brentford Football Club, that never ever happened. I was accepted from the beginning. So, to be able to score 11 goals in my first season was just the icing on the cake.”

He added: “Two-thirds of the nation was racist back in those days. It was an acceptable thing to watch programmes like Alf Garnett and Love Thy Neighbour.

“I would walk in the dressing room and the lads would stop talking about those shows and that sort of stuff.

“Without realizing it, because quite a lot of them weren't racist towards me, they were laughing at stuff that they shouldn't have really been laughing at.

“It was a joke and it was funny and all those types of things and society were totally different back in those days, but now nobody sees my colour anymore. They see 'Kammy' the character and I've got to be thankful for that.

“I grew up with my dad getting arrested every time there was any trouble in the neighbourhood, the neighbours treated us as different people.

"As I said, that was then, things have totally changed now. It’s still around, but it isn't the same now.”