Douglas James-Taylor: 'I was shocked and I was surprised it was so targeted. What had I done?'
Douglas James-Taylor: 'I was shocked and I was surprised it was so targeted. What had I done?'
Speaking for the first time about the racist abuse he suffered at Richmond Park, the Drogheda United favourite tells Love Is The Drog about being a target and feeling unsafe on the football field.
In typically understated fashion, Douglas James-Taylor describes the incident at Richmond Park as “a bit of a weird one.” That is not to suggest for a moment that the Drogheda United striker, on-loan from Walsall, does not appreciate the seriousness of the incident. Racism is an aspect of life he is all too familiar with.
For the first time in his young career however, James-Taylor was the target, the victim, of racial abuse on a football pitch. It shocked him - affected him too.
In the 36th minute of the game against Stephen Kenny’s St Patrick’s Athletic, with the ball out of play, the United forward approached Rob Hennessy and drew his attention to abuse being directed his way from a section of home supporters on the Camac side of the ground.
James-Taylor could be seen pointing out his two abusers in the crowd to the official, who liaised with his fourth official and ground staff, and Saints captain Joe Redmond. After a stoppage of just under four minutes, the game resumed.
Having carefully considered the options, Love Is The Drog has decided to repeat the alleged racial slur in full - as described by the player - without censorship. It should be pointed out the incident was investigated by the League of Ireland, with no action ultimately taken.
“During the game, one of the fans shouted on and called me a “black cunt”. I looked over and thought ‘Have I heard that right?’ I looked over and there was these two guys jeering and pointing at themselves and laughing,” James-Taylor explains.
“For the next few minutes, they were calling me a cunt repeatedly. I went over to speak to the ref and they called me a black cunt again. I got the audio back as well and I listened to it. That was a bit of a weird one.”
“They stopped the game. I pointed out who it was. Then it continued and he was there for the rest of the game. I don’t know what the protocol is. I was a little bit disappointed with the result of that.”
Four and a half minutes after the game kicked off again, Frantz Pierrot earned United a penalty which the on-loan Walsall player dispatched, his ninth goal in nine games for the club. Following Luke Heeney’s dismissal, James-Taylor was tasked with dropping back into a midfield position as Drogs attempted, unsuccessfully in the end, to stem the Pat’s tide.
A month on, James-Taylor is speaking about the incident for the first time, with the FAI Cup semi-final against Wexford on the horizon this Sunday.
“I was shocked and I was surprised it was so targeted,” he said. “What had I done? Maybe it’s just because I’m doing well and they want to bring me down.
“It was more because it was taking me off my game. I was concentrating on that for periods in the game. Had that just happened? Getting the audio back, you’re like, that did happen. I did a report on it and stuff but I don’t know if they felt like they had enough evidence to take it any further.
The 22-year-old continued: “I would say to myself that it doesn’t affect me - and I haven’t let it affect me - but in the moment it did affect me because I was thinking about it, thinking had that person said that and what do I do now?
“Almost, am I safe on the pitch? Which is a bit of weird thing. I feel like I can look after myself. I wasn’t in immediate trouble. Especially in a match when you’re trying to concentrate and do your job. It was on my mind.”
A statement issued by the league stated: ‘The FAI and League of Ireland maintains a strict zero tolerance approach towards any act of Racism/Discrimination and are committed to ensuring that League of Ireland matches remain a safe and welcoming environment for everyone."‘
James-Taylor admits that while this was the first incident of racism he has encountered on the field of play, experiencing racism in his day to day life is something that he has had to endure. Even in Ireland, it happens.
“This is the first time I’ve had to deal with in on a pitch in terms of what steps to take. I’ve been informed that I’ve done the right steps,” he said. “I had to speak to Dermot (McKenna) and different people at the club like Kev and the players. I felt there was a little bit of a responsibility that this sort of thing gets dealt with and not swept under the carpet, to prevent it from happening in the future and there being a little bit more safety for players.
“It kind of gets swept under the carpet a bit.”
“I did (take a while to process it). In the first game after it, when you’re near the side of the pitch you’re wondering what’s being said or almost not wanting to hear what’s being said.
“The main thing was I wanted to deal with it the right way and I didn’t want to regret anything. But sometimes things can take a lot longer to process than you want. I want that sort of thing to be cut out and even though nothing has come of it, I’d like it to be considered by the people in the league and what they can do to prevent it when cases like this happen again.
“Hopefully nothing like this ever happens again and I don’t have to talk about it.”
The visit of Wexford to United Park in the FAI Cup semi-final on Sunday will see Youths defender Ethan Boyle line out at United Park. In May 2022, Boyle was the victim of racist abuse by a supporter at United Park, while playing for Finn Harps.
Drogheda United were quick to condemn the abuse. ‘The individual in question was identified and removed from the ground at half time, and will be banned from attending future Drogheda United matches,’ a club statement read. ‘Racism has no place in society or football.’