West Ham United legend Clyde Best was at London Stadium over the weekend while he continues his Book Tour of his new autobiography, ‘The Acid Test’.
Best was invited to be the guest for the day when West Ham took on Hull City and recorded a 1 - 0 Premier League win.
Best was not the first black player in England but he was the first mainstream black face in modern times, in the era when significant migration from the West Indies had become a feature of English life.
For scores of black boys, from Stonebridge, Brixton, Tottenham, Moss Side, Handsworth and St Paul’s he would be an inspiration, a visible presence on the pitch. Cyrille Regis, Brendon Batson, Garth Crooks, Noel Blake and Howard Gayle, the vanguard of the next generation, would all later pay tribute to Best.
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