BACK in 1989 I was a wee teenager with a pimple on my chin and no GCSEs to my name.

At Ewood Park in late May, the legendary Howard Gayle, already having scored two, stepped up to take a penalty for Blackburn Rovers as they faced Crystal Palace in the play-offs of the old second division.

If he scored he would have put the game out of reach and maybe Rovers might have reached the final and then maybe got promoted.

I was willing him to score for two reasons: Firstly, I wanted Rovers to get an unassailable lead and secondly I didn't want the gentleman next to me to come out with some racist comment if he missed. He missed.

The opposition players used to get some stick too but I still felt Ewood Park was far safer place than some other grounds I had visited with my brothers.

Six GCSEs later, I don't really care whether any black player at Ewood Park misses open nets or has a bad day.

In fact I couldn't care less if the opposition team trots on to the pitch with a whole set of Ukrainians and Nigerians. That feeling of whether the 'foreign' player is going to get racially abused has gone. And with it the slight fear that things might turn ugly.

Anyone who does make such a comment is usually told to 'shut up' by a fellow 'white' supporter. Something that rarely occurred during the eighties.

The recent incident regarding Dwight Yorke has been reported and mulled over more times than a general election. And for those saying it shouldn't have been publicised as much as it has - I say this.

The incident itself might seem like nothing but it shouldn't make any difference if Dwight Yorke gets paid thousands and went out with Jordan. If he wants to highlight a racist incident then he is entitled to do so. And he should be commended for it.

If he wants to warm up at either end of the ground he should be allowed to do so without being abused because the colour of his skin.

The problem occurs when whole sets of fans are then deemed to be racist when that is not the case.

The difference these days is that action is taken in grounds and by the authorities when racist incidents occur. In the past little was done, making certain grounds intimidating places to go.

I am not saying racism has been eradicated from grounds and stadiums around the country because it hasn't.

But I do feel little would have been made of this incident if only a week earlier England players had not been abused by Spanish supporters - and that, ladies and gentlemen, was a sorry state of affairs.