Today marks the 50th anniversary of a career-defining moment for Lionel “Baldy” Smith, the former Somerset Trojans and Bermuda striker.

On May 19, 1966, Smith, aged 19, came on as a substitute to notch a memorable brace for a Bermuda Football Association Select against English giants Tottenham Hotspur, who won the hard-fought friendly 3-2 at a rain-soaked Wellington Oval.

Smith, a cousin of Trojans team-mate Clyde Best, beat Pat Jennings, who lifted the FA Cup with Spurs the following year, with two well-taken goals.

Alan Gilzean, the Scotland striker, netted twice inside of five minutes to put Tottenham two goals up at half-time before Smith led the home side’s fightback with a brace of his own.

Smith opened his account in the 54th minute when he slipped the ball past the onrushing Jennings after being played through by Gilbert Darrell, the BFA Select captain.

With their tails up, the home side continued to pile on the pressure and were further rewarded when Smith equalised in the 77th minute with a brilliant solo effort.

“I flicked the ball over the centre-half’s head [Laurie Brown] and ran around him,” Smith recalled. “The goalkeeper Pat Jennings then came out and I flicked the ball over his head into the back of the net. That made it 2-2 and the crowd went wild.”

The home side’s joy was short-lived, however, with Terry Venables, the England midfield and future Barcelona coach, scored Tottenham’s winner in the 85th minute.

“It was a bit disappointing to lose because we almost had a draw,” said Smith, 69.

“But it was an honour to play against a team like Spurs and was definitely one of the highlights of my career.

“To play against players of that calibre was fantastic. Tottenham were something new to us because of their speed and they hit you hard.”

Dave Mackay, the late Tottenham captain and Scotland midfielder, said at the time that the Bermuda side “gave us something to think about in the second half”.

Smith’s superb display certainly caught the attention of Tottenham, who initially appeared to show an interest in the player.

“They wanted my phone number and so I gave it to them, but they never phoned me back,” he said.

Smith’s cousin Best joined Tottenham’s London rivals West Ham United in 1968 and became one of the first prominent black players in the English game.

“I felt very good when Clyde went there and played as one of the first black players,” said Smith, who scored 75 goals for Trojans’s First Division (42) and Reserve Division (33) teams during the 1965-66 season.

Tottenham made a brief stopover in Bermuda in 1966 on their way to play in a tournament in Toronto also featuring Scottish powerhouse Celtic.

The friendly match served as an ideal trial for local players like Smith who were vying for a place in Bermuda’s squad for upcoming international fixtures.

“I had to try and prove myself for the preliminary rounds of the Pan Am Games and other tournaments,” Smith said. “Everybody wanted to get into the team and when they did they made sure they stayed because they knew people were behind them waiting to get in.”

Smith went on to make several appearances for Bermuda and was also a member of the team that won a silver medal at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada.

“That was the greatest honour, winning that silver medal,” said Smith, who also had the privilege of playing against Manchester United and Celtic.

“At that time Bermuda was just getting recognised. We had some great players and everybody wanted to represent Bermuda and put the island on the map. Even to this day all of the guys are best buddies. We are still friends because of the harmony we had playing for Bermuda.”