Elgar’s football anthem performed at concert to raise funds for church

LONDON - Sir Edward Elgar’s famous football anthem ‘He Banged The Leather For Goal’ has been performed at St Peter’s Collegiate Church in Wolverhampton to raise funds for the church.

An Evening with Elgar was held in association with Wolves to help St Peter’s church as it seeks to raise 300,000 pounds to restore an organ dating back to 1860, reports the BBC.

Elgar, born in 1857, was a Wolverhampton Wanderers fan and cycled more than 40 miles (64km) from Malvern, Worcestershire, to see them play.

Wolves said he wrote the song- believed to be one of the first football anthems- in honour of a 1890s striker, Billy Malpass.

The concert was organised ahead of Sunday afternoon’s Premier League game against Aston Villa at Molineux.

Both clubs were founder members of the Football League in 1888.

The Reverend David Wright said he would “love to think” that Elgar came into the church.

Wolverhampton Wanderers FC historian Graham Hughes said Elgar “loved coming” to the area.

“He used to watch the crowd going down to the match,” he said.

“Then one Saturday he said he’d like to go down to the match, so he went and that’s how it started.”

Wolves said Elgar’s support for the club stemmed from his admiration for Dora Penney, daughter of the Rector of Wolverhampton.

The current St Peter’s rector, the Reverend David Wright, who is also the club chaplain at Wolves, said: “[I'd] love to think that at some point Elgar came into this church and heard this organ played.” (ANI)