The mystery surrounding the beautiful football shirt from the 1980s that was recently donated to the Old Spotted Dog Ground clubhouse has been solved!
The appeal for information amassed nearly 2,000 likes on Instagram alone and dozens of admiring comments across social media. There was even one person who tabled an audacious bid to buy the shirt. Sorry, it’s not for sale!
The shirt was donated by Clapton fan, Gary Dunn, who recently moved to the area and started to attend games at the OSD. He takes up the story:
Back in the early 1980s, myself and a group of mates were involved in supporting the Miners 84/85 strike through the Hackney Miners Support Committee and other solidarity groups.
The shirt has ‘Sandinista’ written on it, in honour of the Sandinista government in revolutionary Nicaragua, from where I had just returned, after being on an official delegation to twin Liverpool with Corinto.
We’d been going on football tours to Holland, Belgium and Germany. So, in 1984/85 we sponsored two miners, Dave Cook from Notts and Verdun from South Wales, so that they could join the tour. We played in a tournament in Leuven, sponsored by Stella Artois. We also took lots of information about the strike and made several bucket collections.
Sadly, the year-long strike was called off whilst we were away. We arrived back deflated after the heroic struggle by the Miners was defeated by the Thatcherite state. Went straight to a benefit gig at the University of London Union with Elvis Costello, Billy Bragg and the Men They Couldn’t Hang.
I thought the shirt have should have a visible home and CCFC seemed like the obvious place.
It seems fitting that the shirt has found a home in our clubhouse – not only does it remind us of two of the 1980s’ most important class struggles – but there are a couple of other connections that circle back to Clapton.
First, Phil Vasili author of Walter Tull 1888 to 1918: Footballer and Officer (who attended the unveiling of the plaque commemorating the opening of Walter Tull Way in May 2025) was also on that tour to Leuven in 1985 with Gary Dunn.
Then, Billy Bragg, who played at another Clapton unveiling in May 2025 – this time commemorating those comrades from Newham who fought in the Spanish Civil War – recently recalled his memory of that gig at ULU:
“I was invited to take part in a benefit gig with Elvis Costello and the Attractions at Logan Hall in London to mark the anniversary of the walk out. With cruel timing, the strike had ended in defeat just a week before the gig and the presence on the bill of the South Wales Striking Miners Choir made for an emotional evening.”
The shirt is an amazing addition to the clubhouse as well as being an important historical artefact. We are grateful to Gary Dunn for sharing this shirt with us.