Three former Wolverhampton Wanderers footballers have reunited for a short film for You Tube paying tribute to the contributions of Black players over the past 150 years.

George Berry, Don Gardner and Bob Hazell met at The Junction pub in Wolverhampton as part of Black History Month to reflect on their experiences at Wolves, with each having played a significant role in the club's history.

Gardner was Wolves' first Black senior player, Hazell its first Black goalscorer, while Berry was the first Black player to lift a trophy for the club.

"If you're the only Black face on the pitch and thousands of people are shouting abuse, that's hard," recalled Berry.

Gardner said: "I never looked at it through the lens of colour. I didn't think of myself as a Black footballer, I thought of myself as a footballer who wanted to succeed."

The icon, who donned the famous gold and black shirt as a professional player in 1973, has been hailed by the club for "helping change Wolves forever for Black players".

Recalling the obstacles he faced in his career, the 71-year-old said racism was something he faced "all the time".

He said: "You'd be taking a throw-in and people would shout things at you from a few feet away.

"There were occasions when players, like Brendon Batson and others, had bananas thrown onto the pitch and there were monkey chants. That happened regularly in football during that era," he said.

"You'd also get abuse from opposition players. But often they were doing it because they wanted to get you off your game.

"Then after the match, those same players would come over and shake your hand and ask how you were.

"It doesn't excuse it but football was different then."

Gardner helped pave the way for fellow legends Hazell and Berry to join the squad.

For Berry, who joined the club in 1973 as an apprentice, there were many challenges to overcome, both on the pitch and in the dressing rooms.

"I remember when I first trained in the first-team environment that there were one or two things said. There was some 'banter' and some language that I didn't particularly like.

"But the worst stuff never came from your teammates, [it] was from the supporters or your opponents.

"But there are really only two choices you can make when you receive it – you either let it crush you or you use it as motivation.

"I chose to use it as motivation."

At Molineux, Berry reached the FA Youth Cup final, became a first-team regular and was voted Players' Player of the Year in 1979, before helping Wolves lift the League Cup the following season, their last major domestic title to date.

He added: "Not only the Black players, but all players who have had an influence on the club deserve recognition.

"As Black players, we played our part, and it's nice to see that being remembered."

Another player celebrated in the short film is Hazell, whose first goal against Manchester City in March 1978 made him the first Black player to score for the Old Gold.

Despite his triumphs on the pitch, there were barriers that almost took him away from the sport, he said.

"There were things that happened that I didn't even tell my family about. I knew if I told them everything, they'd have said, 'Forget football and come home'. But I needed football.

"Nothing was going to get in my way. I loved football too much, so I learned to deal with things and keep moving forward," he said, adding that a camaraderie among his fellow players helped him to push through.

"I remember things happening in matches where teammates would immediately step in and stand up for me.

"Years later, I'd mention those moments to them and they'd often have forgotten all about it.

"But for me, they meant a lot because they showed they had my back."