FORMER Saint George Lawrence has returned to his former club to pledge his support to the Premiership club's 'Racism Just Ain't Saintly' campaign.

The project - a joint initiative between Southampton City Council, Southampton FC and Friends Provident - is recognised as an important measure in tackling the on-going fight to keep racism out of football.

Sadly, racism was back in the sports pages last month when parts of the Slovakian crowd directed racist abuse at England players Emile Heskey and Ashley Cole.

Lawrence, who made over 100 appearances for the Saints, was one of the first black stars at the club.

Along with the Wallace brothers, he made a huge impact during the 1980s.

The former Saints apprentice, pictured below, made his Football League debut in 1981 and, after joining Oxford United a year later, rejoined Saints in 1985. In all, he made 80 league and cup appearances, plus 20 as a substitute, before joining Milwall in 1987.

In the Alphabet of the Saints book, Lawrence was described as "definitely entertaining ... his form could swing from the sublime to the ridiculous, there was never a dull moment when he was around."

The 'Racism Just Ain't Saintly' initiative, launched at St Mary's by Southampton Itchen MP John Denham last March, is now gathering momentum.

It underpins a national drive to keep racism out of football, as well as continuing to play an important role in the community.

A number of success stories have already been reported as the programme seeks to draw together all of the relevant strands of the community to create a culture which promotes enjoyment of the national game.

The project reflects the diverse nature of fans that follow the Saints at a ground which is in the heart of a multi-ethnic community in St Mary's.

Saints chairman Rupert Lowe said: "Southampton FC is firmly opposed to all forms of racism - whether this is at a match at the stadium or in the community.

"Although it is true that we are pleased to report that we have very few racially motivated incidents, we recognise that it is an ongoing priority to ensure it never appears in any form.

"We are delighted that members of the community have come forward to participate in whatever capacity - whether this is coaching or club run courses."

Keith Satchell, Group Chief Executive at Friends Provident, said: "This is an important initiative, not only for football but for fostering harmony in the multi-cultural society in which we all live and work.

"This is an opportunity for all those who love this great game to set the standards for the community as a whole."

City Council Leader, councillor June Bridle, said: "In Southampton we work hard to foster good relations between all our communities, and we welcome any campaign that confronts the evils of racism.

"One of the biggest dangers is complacency, and the city council is proud to be working with Southampton FC to maintain a high profile for our ongoing anti-racism work.

"We want to demonstrate that there is no room for racists, either in our stadium, or on our streets."

And Denham insisted: "Racism has no place in football.

"I want to see zero tolerance of racism at every level of the game.

"I am pleased that Saints are continuing to work hard to tackle racism in football, and it is great to see George Lawrence lending his support to that campaign.

"As a Saints season ticket holder I urge other Saints fans to remember that 'Racism Just Ain't Saintly'.