Ex-Arsenal Chelsea and Southampton player denied blue plaque

Ted Drake, who also rose to fame as a prolific striker for Arsenal, was the great-grandfather of Basingstoke man Liam Harding, and was once described as “the world greatest centre forward.”

The nomination for the plaque was submitted by Liam Harding, Drake's great-grandson, who has spent two years working to preserve his great-grandfather’s sporting legacy.

Mr 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.

Liam Harding and his great grandfather Ted Drake (Image: Liam Harding)

"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 read recently that Ted was denied and quite harrowing to be honest with high expectations."

Ted Drake remains Arsenal’s fifth all-time top goalscorer with 139 goals and holds the English top-flight record for most goals in a single match, having scored seven in one game more than 90 years ago.

He began his professional career with Southampton in 1931 after joining from non-league side Winchester City and later moved to Arsenal in 1934, becoming the team’s main striker until the outbreak of the Second World War.

During his time at Highbury, Drake became the fastest Arsenal player to reach 100 goals, doing so in just 108 appearances.

He recorded 44 goals in the 1934/35 season alone.

Described as “lion-hearted” by legendary Arsenal manager Thomas Whittaker, Drake later led Chelsea to their first-ever top-flight title in 1955 as the first player then coach to herald the English top-flight at Chelsea.

Mr Harding, now 23, has worked tirelessly to ensure that Drake’s name is not forgotten.

After eight months of correspondence with Arsenal, a remembrance plaque was installed at Highbury in February last year, marking the stadium where Drake’s ashes have lain since 1995 following his death at the age of 82.

The plaque reads: “In loving memory of TED DRAKE whose ashes are buried at this stadium.

"The scorer of 139 goals in 184 games between 1934 and 1939, he was one of Arsenal’s greatest ever strikers.”

Following this tribute, Mr Harding applied for Drake’s inclusion in the National Football Museum Hall of Fame.

Although the initial nomination fell short by one point in June 2025, Drake was successfully inducted in November, though a formal ceremony is yet to take place.

Despite the setback with Historic England, Mr Harding has since applied for a blue plaque at Drake’s later home in Wimbledon, where he led Chelsea to their first title in history.

He said: "I have a felt a great sense of purpose in this family and football heritage mission which admittedly I haven’t surrendered from, but if he’s not chosen for a blue plaque at his London home which saw him become the first player then manager to lift the title, then we have to settle for that but hopefully that won’t be the case."

The campaign has highlighted Drake’s enormous influence on English football, both as a player and a manager.

His legacy is now recognised at Arsenal and within the National Football Museum, and his family hopes that further recognition might still be achieved with a blue plaque in Wimbledon.

While the national blue plaque has not yet been awarded, supporters of Mr Harding’s campaign believe that Ted Drake’s achievements warrant broader public commemoration.

His place in football history, through club records, national honours, and personal tributes, continues to inspire both fans and family alike.