THE campaign to commemorate the first black professional footballer, who made his name in the North-East, has two more highprofile backers.

Two Newcastle United stars, Obafemi Martins and Geremi – Nigerian and Cameroonian respectively – had their photographs taken with a scaleddown statue and plaque of Arthur Wharton before Monday night’s Aston Villa game.

And it clearly did the trick.

Martins scored both goals in a 2- 0 win, which lifted Newcastle out of the relegation zone.

Martins and Geremi join Stevie Wonder and George Boateng on the campaign’s list of high-profile supporters.

The campaign is pushing for a statue of Wharton in Darlington, where he moved from the Gold Coast in the late 19th Century.

Geremi said: “Arthur undoubtedly did great things in his lifetime and it will be tremendous if he can be recognised in this way.

He really was a true North-East hero.”

While at Darlington, Wharton made his name as a top-class goalkeeper, and occasional speedy winger. He also broke the world 100 yards sprint record. He went on to play for Preston North End, Sheffield United and, briefly, Newcastle. He died penniless in South Yorkshire.

A Newcastle United spokesman said: “We are delighted to support the campaign to have a full-size statue erected in Arthur Wharton’s honour.

“Oba and Geremi were keen to lend their support too, and were fascinated to learn that Arthur was the world’s first black professional footballer.”

The statue Martins and Geremi saw is a scaled-down model of what the final version should look like. It features Wharton spectacularly tipping a shot over the crossbar.

The plaque features a Scottish thistle, Ghanaian black stars and Grenadan nutmeg to show the heritage of his parents, and an English rose to reflect his adopted country.

Darlington artist Shaun Campbell, who founded the campaign, said: “To have Newcastle United on board is fantastic. They were really keen to help the campaign to commemorate Arthur Wharton, who was a pioneer for black footballers.”

The final hurdle for the campaign is funding and finalising a location. Mr Wharton is in talks with Darlington Borough Council.

Its leader, John Williams, has pledged his support.