Jackie Bestall

Football manager infobox
playername = Jackie Bestall


fullname = John Gilbert Bestall
nickname =
height = height|ft=5|in=5
dateofbirth = birth date|1900|6|24|df=y
cityofbirth = Beighton
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath = death date and age|1985|04|11|1900|06|24
cityofdeath = Doncaster
countryofdeath = England
currentclub =
position = Inside Forward
years = 1924-1926
1926-1938
clubs = Rotherham County
Grimsby Town
caps(goals) = 061 (16)
427 (76)
youthyears =
youthclubs = Beighton Miners Welfare
nationalyears = 1935
nationalteam = flagicon|England England
nationalcaps(goals) = 001 0(0)
manageryears = 1946-1949
1949-1953
1953-1954
1959-1960
managerclubs = Doncaster Rovers
Blackburn Rovers
Nelson
Doncaster Rovers

John Gilbert "Jackie" Bestall, (b. Beighton, 24 June 1900, d. Doncaster, 11 April, 1985) was an English international footballer, he also played top division football and captained Grimsby Town, and later managed Doncaster Rovers and Blackburn Rovers.

Rotherham County & Rotherham United

Bestall made his debut for Rotherham County towards the end of the 1924-25 season, playing the last two games. County finished bottom of Division Three (North) that season and merged with Rotherham Town to form the new club, Rotherham United, that took the place of County in Division Three (North) for 1925-26.

Jackie was an ever present in the 1925-26 season and in scoring 12 goals he was instrumental in producing much better fortunes. He playing in the first 17 games of the 1926-27 season before being sold shortly before an FA Cup tie at Lincoln City to Grimsby Town due to financial difficulties.

Grimsby Town

Bestall is regarded as "perhaps the greatest name on Town's roll-call - a diminutive craftsman full of guile and possessed of outstanding constructive qualities".cite book | first=Douglas | last=Lamming | title=A Who's Who of Grimsby Town AFC 1890-1985 | id = ISBN 0-907033-34-2 | year =1985 | publisher = Hutton Press] He had a lounge at Blundell Park and the smallest road in Grimsby and Cleethorpes named after him. [ [http://grimsbytown.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=909&stid=8268989&p=2 electronicfishcake.com] - Player Profile]

Bestall captained Grimsby to the 1933-34 Second Division title and back in to the First Division after two seasons in the Second. This helped Bestall to earn his only England cap aged 34 years, 226 days against Northern Ireland on 6 February 1935. [ [http://www.englandstats.com/matchreport.php?mid=196 englandstats.com] - England Cap] He is the sixth oldest player to make his England debut and was the first Grimsby player to be capped by England.

He played in Grimsby's first FA Cup semi final against Arsenal, but was deliberately injured early on [ [http://www.footballpoets.org/p.asp?Id=4322 Football Poets] - Another Reason for Hating Arsenal] and Arsenal won 1-0.

Bestall played 427 league games for Town, only ever beaten by Keith Jobling and latterly John McDermott.

After retirement

When Bestall retired he had numerous jobs in football, coaching at Birmingham City and chief scout, chief scout at Doncaster Rovers, managing Blackburn Rovers and two spells as manger of Doncaster.

In tribute to his career at Grimsby Town, the town named a street after him.

Honours

Grimsby Town

*Second Division Champions: 1934

References

External links

*englandstats|id=106|name=Jackie Bestall
*soccerbase (manager)|683|Jackie Bestall
* [http://blackburnrovers.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=903&p=2&stid=8011292 Feature on Blackburn Rovers website]