Hall of Fame footballer Clyde Best will be reunited with some of his former West Ham team-mates when he returns to his old stomping ground at Upton Park next week as a special guest.

The former Hammers striker, who turns 58 next month, has agreed to sign autographs prior to West Ham's January 18 home clash with Fulham at Upton Park where he will also be acknowleged before the start of the match by spectators.

During his stay in London, Best will renew acquaintances with former Hammers team-mates Trevor Brooking, Billy Bonds and Harry Redknapp who is the current coach of Tottenham Hotspur.

Redknapp, who is the uncle of Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, coached Portsmouth to FA Cup glory last season during a second spell at the south coast club before moving on to Spurs in October after predecessor Juande Ramos was sacked.

"Harry has done a tremendous job at Spurs. No matter where Harry goes he always does a tremendous job because he knows how to deal with people," Best told The Royal Gazette.

Of his upcoming return to Upton Park, the ex-Bermuda Football Association (BFA) technical director said: "It's always an honour and a privilege to get invited back to your old club."

The Bermudian made his debut as a Hammer against Arsenal at Upton Park in 1969 before going on to score 47 goals in 186 appearances.

He also had the distinction of playing alongside some of the biggest names in British football during an eight-year stint at West Ham such as the late Bobby Moore, who captained England to World Cup glory in 1966.

In the same team were England's other World Cup heroes Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters.

"It will be nice to go back there and see if that crossbar is still shaking. I used to hit the crossbar just to frighten the opposition," smiled Best, who last visited Upton Park a few years' ago.

One of the first black footballers to break into the English game, Best's pioneering exploits on the pitch during the post-World War II era inspired others such as John Barnes, Cyril Regis and compatriots Shaun Goater and Kyle Lightbourne to follow in his footsteps.

After leaving West Ham in 1976, Best made 23 appearances for Dutch side Feyenoord and also played professionally in North America with several clubs before hanging up his boots in 1982.

Best, who also represented Somerset in Cup Match and earned his first Bermuda cap at the tender age of 15, was inducted into the Bermuda Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.