Our club house is home to a collection of scarves from clubs and fan groups from around the world. But we have also been donated a small number of football shirts from teams who share our ideals. One shirt that appeared recently has caused quite a stir (in one small corner of Instagram at least!) It is a beautiful Umbro shirt from the mid-1980s – a template version of the iconic Liverpool home shirt of the era – but what has piqued people’s interest are both the unusual crest and sponsor’s logo.

The crest is a logo for the National Union of Mineworkers commemorating the Miners’ Strike of 84/85. As most people know, the Miner’s Strike pitted workers against the full force of the British state and its lackeys in the police. Margaret Thatcher wanted to crush the miners’ resistance and dismantle society so she could push through her neo-liberal policies. The Battle of Orgreave  – between police and striking miners – that took place on 18 June 1984 remains one of the most brutal and indiscriminate use of police violence in industrial history. This shirt stands in solidarity with those striking miners.

But the intrigue doesn’t end there. Across the front, in the space now reserved for sponsors logos, is the word ‘Sandinista’ in black flocked lettering. The Sandinistas, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) were Nicaraguan leftist party who had overthrown the Somoza dictatorship in 1979. By 1984, they were engaged in an ongoing conflict with the US-backed, right-wing Contra rebels.

That this shirt chooses to support two of the standout conflicts between left and right of the 1980s makes it a remarkable historical artefact, as well as being and achingly beautiful football shirt.

We are desperate to know more about the shirt’s history. We know it was donated by a regular visitor to the Old Spotted Dog Ground. We know this because one of our fans had a brief chat with him about it at the game against Stansted on Saturday, January 31. As a result of that conversation, we do have a bit more info but we’ll hold off on any spoilers until we’ve unearthed the full story!

If you’re the person who donated this shirt please could you get in touch with us – via email to comms@claptoncfc.co.uk, social media or by speaking to anyone wearing a pink bib on a matchday. We really want to be able to do this shirt and its amazing story justice. Thanks.