Maltese players in the English League

I read a book recently which for a moment stopped me in my tracks.

This excellent publication 'England, their England' by Nick Harris, gives in great detail the story of foreign footballers in the English League since 1888.

I already knew of a handful of Maltese footballers who played in England.

Joe Cini, John Buttigieg and Luke Dimech were our ambassadors in the oldest and most prestigious league in the world. However, I was surprised to learn of a dozen others who, although not Maltese nationals, were born in Malta.

For the interest of readers, today we are publishing a very interesting list which Harris included in Appendix One of his book. To this list I have added Dimech.

As can be seen from the list, the Malta-born players were all British subjects. I would therefore not be presuming much if I say that the majority of them were the sons of British Servicemen stationed in Malta.

Further research in the Public Registry will probably confirm this.

A very interesting name is that of Hogan Cornelius.

Born in 1878, he probably spent his childhood in Malta and kicked his first ball in one of the many Garrison Schools scattered around the island. This would make him one of the pioneers of Maltese football.

A familiar name is that of John Cutbush who between 1972 and 1979 played league football for Fulham and Sheffield United. Another is that of Dylan Kerr. He was on the books of Leeds United between 1989 and 1991.

I'm sure, these names make interesting reading not only to the general public but also to keen researchers of our game.

Perhaps, the most famous Maltese player in the UK was undoubtedly Cini. His sojourn with Leyton Orient and Queen's Park Rangers in the 50s could have been the start of a glorious career for him had he chosen to further his career in England.

Buttigieg and Dimech's careers in England were certainly not spectacular but knowing the circumstances of Maltese football theirs is also a remarkable achievement. It is always a big thing for someone from a country like ours to play in the biggest league in the world.