Thomas Hubert Best (23 December 1920 – 16 September 2018) was a Welsh professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a centre forward. A veteran of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, serving in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

, he made over 70 appearances in the Football League for Chester, Cardiff City and

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

. Best was the first black professional footballer to play at the top level in Ireland and was also the first black player to appear for Chester and Hereford in the Football League.

Early life

Best was born in Milford Haven to a Barbadian father and Welsh mother.

Career

Ireland

Best joined the

as a teenager and during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

was stationed aboard HMS Gloman, a

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

vessel. When the ship was damaged by a German air raid, it docked in Pollock Dock at

Belfast Harbour Belfast Harbour is a major maritime hub in Belfast, Northern Ireland, handling 67% of Northern Ireland's seaborne trade and about 25% of the maritime trade of the entire island of Ireland. It is a vital gateway for raw materials, exports and c ...

and the chief petty officer on the ship introduced Best to the football teams in the area. Best attended a match between Belfast Celtic and Drumcondra in the Dublin and Belfast Inter-City Cup at Grosvenor Park and was asked to play when Drumcondra proved to be short of a full team. He played against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

international Bertie Fulton in the match, scoring one of Drumcondra's goals, and impressed enough to be offered a deal with Belfast Celtic. He was given the nickname "Darkie Best" during his spell at the club, although Best maintained that any reference to his skin colour was affectionate, later stating: "I was never subjected to racial comments by anybody – team-mates, officials or supporters. Indeed, I looked upon Belfast as my second home". By playing for Celtic, Best became the first black professional player to appear at the top level in Ireland at the age of 19. He spent one season with the club, playing alongside internationals such as

Jimmy McAlinden James McAlinden (27 December 1917 – 15 November 1993) was an Irish footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, most notably, Belfast Celtic, Portsmouth, Shamrock Rovers and Southend United. As an international, McAlinden also played ...

and Norman Kernaghan. Best also played for fellow Irish side

Cliftonville Cliftonville is a coastal area of the town of Margate, situated to the east of the main town, in the Thanet district of Kent, South East England, United Kingdom. It also contains the area known as Palm Bay. The original Palm Bay estate was ...

and went on to play football in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia after being stationed there.

Football League

In July 1947, Best joined Chester after a successful trial, making his move into the professional game at the late age of 26 due to the hostilities. He made a goalscoring debut for the club on 23 August 1947 in a 2–1 win over

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...

, becoming the first black player to represent the ''Blues'' in the Football League. He scored 14 goals in 40 league appearances for Chester and, after his first season, attracted attention from a number of clubs, including Blackpool and

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

, but eventually chose a move to Cardiff City for a fee of £7,000 as it was the closest to his hometown. His fee was a club record sale for Chester at the time and would stand until the sale of Billy Foulkes to Newcastle United in 1951. He made his debut for the club in a 2–0 defeat to

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...

on 30 October 1948, playing five consecutive matches before dropping out of the first team. He was restored to the side at the end of the 1948–49 season, scoring his first goal in a 4–0 victory over

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

on 12 March 1949. He played in the last thirteen matches of the season, scoring six times. The following season, Best began the campaign as the club's first choice striker and scored five goals in his first eight appearances. However, he dropped out of favour and, having spent just over one season at

Ninian Park Ninian Park was a football stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovations during its lifespan and hosted fixtu ...

, he made his final appearance for the club in a 2–0 defeat to

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

in November 1949 before joining

. During his time with Cardiff, he was informed by the management team that he was expected to be called up to represent

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

at international level in the absence of the injured

Trevor Ford Trevor Ford (1 October 1923 – 29 May 2003) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a centre forward for Swansea Town, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Cardiff City, PSV, Newport County and Romford, as well as for the Wales national ...

but was overlooked. Best later stated his belief that he was ignored due to the colour of his skin, commenting "You have to remember that black players were a rarity ..I'm forced to the conclusion that I was a victim of prejudice." He later had spells with non-league sides Milford Haven,

Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...

, where he made over 100 appearances, and Bromsgrove Rovers.

Later life

Following his retirement from football, Best worked in a

Mother's Pride Mother's Pride is a brand name for a variety of breads produced by British Bakeries, a division of Premier Foods. The company also bakes Nimble (reduced calorie) and Hovis branded loaves as well as supermarket 'own brand' ranges. British Bake ...

bakery. He retired to live in Hereford with his wife, Eunice, and the couple had three children, Jennifer, Paul and Judy. He suffered from Alzheimer's disease in later life and died on 16 September 2018 at the age of 97.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best, Tommy 1920 births 2018 deaths People from Milford Haven Welsh people of Barbadian descent British sportspeople of Barbadian descent Royal Navy personnel of World War II Association football forwards Welsh footballers Cliftonville F.C. players Belfast Celtic F.C. players Belfast Celtic F.C. wartime guest players Expatriate soccer players in Australia Chester City F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Hereford United F.C. players Bromsgrove Rovers F.C. players English Football League players Black British sportspeople