Arsenal legend Ted Drake denied Historic England blue plaque

Arsenal legend Ted Drake denied Historic England blue plaque A former Arsenal legend once described as “ the world’s greatest centre forward ” from The Gunners’ golden era has been denied a commemorative plaque by Historic England. Arsenal’s fifth all-time top goalscorer, Ted Drake, who scored 139 goals for the club, has been refused a National Blue Plaque at his birthplace in Holyrood, Southampton. The man who still holds the record for the most goals scored in a single English top-flight match, netting seven goals in one game over 90 years ago, started his professional football career in 1931 after joining Southampton from non-league side Winchester City.

Following his transfer from the Saints to Arsenal in 1934, Drake quickly became the club’s main striker and remained a key figure at Highbury until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. During his time with Arsenal, Drake became the quickest Gunner to reach 100 goals, achieving the feat in just 108 appearances. He also set a club record during the 1934/35 campaign by scoring 44 goals in a single season.

The once “lion-hearted” striker, as described by legendary Arsenal manager Tom Whittaker, later went on to become the first player and manager to guide Chelsea to a league title in 1955 . Liam Harding continues mission to preserve Ted Drake’s legacy The National Blue Plaque nomination was submitted by Drake’s great-grandson and regular JustArsenal contributor Liam Harding, who has spent the past few years working to preserve his great-grandfather’s legacy within football. The 23-year-old family chronicler and guardian of the Drake name admitted his disappointment following the decision.

Harding said: “After liaising with Historic England, who described a potential National Blue Plaque for my great-grandfather as ‘exciting’, it was admittedly a shame he wasn’t nominated this year. “These things take time to apply for and I had originally submitted the National Blue Plaque form in May of last year, so it was a bit of a shock to recently read that Ted was denied and quite harrowing to be honest with such high expectations. ” The young Gooner has worked tirelessly to preserve the former Southampton gasworker’s footballing reputation and ensure his name is never forgotten.