TRANMERE Rovers in the Community will mark Black History Month by partnering with the Elkanah Onyeali Care Foundation in honour of the first black player in Rovers’ history.

Onyeali was one of the first Nigerians to play professional football in Britain, and scored nine goals in his 16 appearances for Rovers after joining in 1960.

He died in 2008, aged 70, and the Elkanah Onyeali Care Foundation was established in his memory to run an academy to help young Nigerian players have a career in football.

TRIC will be sending Rovers shirts to Nigeria for the academy to wear, as well as welcoming members of the foundation to Prenton Park for a Tranmere home game.

Onyeali’s son Obidinma said it was the final wish of his father to be celebrated by Tranmere Rovers.

He said: “In a bid to immortalise our father, hero and legend, the late Elkanah Onyeali, we started a foundation and football academy some years back for youth development and grassroots sports.

“It is of utmost importance to us to collaborate with Tranmere to make the last wish of Elkanah come to fruition.”

Onyeali was born in 1938 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and was soon impressing for a number of local sides thanks to his dazzling pace and skill.

In 1959, he was was picked to play for Nigeria, scoring two goals on his debut in a 3-1 win against Ghana. The striker would famously score four goals in a fixture against Benin - a record that would stand for over 30 years.

Despite his obvious talent, Onyeali was determined to pursue his education and in 1961 he travelled to England to study electrical engineering at the Birkenhead Technical College.

He came to the attention of then Rovers boss Peter Farell who selected the Nigerian to play in three reserve games.

Nicknamed ‘Ali’ by the fans, Onyeali was an instant success and was picked for his debut in a thrilling 4-3 win over Bournemouth in which he scored twice.

He later played for Holyhead Town and Prescot Cables.