‘Island should be so proud’

Clyde Best has a few words of advice for Nahki Wells at Wembley — “don’t get stage fright”.

The former West Ham star, who blazed a trail for Bermudian football in the 60s and 70s, played in front of huge crowds with the Hammers alongside the likes of Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters and current QPR boss Harry Redknapp.

Best was a dazzling presence in the team and became a household name but one thing eluded him — a Wembley appearance.

The team reached the final of the 1965 FA Cup but — with only one substitute allowed — Best failed to make the matchday squad.

Despite this minor blip in an otherwise impressive CV, Best is well qualified to advise Wells on how to cope with the 90,000 fans that will pack Wembley on Sunday.

He told the Bermuda Sun: “Just to be able to go out and play at Wembley is an achievement in itself. He just has to go out and enjoy it.”

The size of the hallowed Wembley pitch has sapped the energy for many a famous footballer — but Best dismissed any such fears.

“If you can play, you can play anywhere,” he said “It doesn’t matter about the size of the pitch or anything like that.

“He just has to relax and not get stage fright. Don’t go there and try to do anything you can’t do, and don’t let the size of the crowd intimidate you. He has to try to treat it as any other game and enjoy himself.”

Just as Best flew the flag for the island in England all those years ago, Wells is now doing the same following on from the efforts of Shaun Goater and Kyle Lightbourne.

Best said: “It’s always important for Bermuda to have someone playing at that level — it speaks volumes in itself. Manchester United when they play at Wembley could take 80,000 – we’re a people of 60,000. The whole island should be proud of him.”

While Wells will undoubtedly act as an inspiration for young players here with aspirations of making it in the professional ranks, Best is firm on his opinion that the desire to succeed — as Wells is showing — comes from inside the individual.

“Those that want it will get it,” he said. “I think they have to do it for themselves.

“It’s easier than it was 30 or 40 years, being able to get a passport for England, for example, it’s a cakewalk.”

League Two Bradford may have disposed of Premier League clubs Wigan, Arsenal and Aston Villa in their Capital One Cup run so far but they head into Sunday’s game with most pundits predicting victory for Michael Laudrup’s slick Swansea team.

So can Bradford do it? “Why not? They’ve got this far,” said Best.

“Luck is obviously going to play a part in it. Swansea have got one or two good Spanish players and they pass it around well, so the key will be for Bradford to stop them playing.”