Former Rosebury Road resident Trevor (Tosh) Chamberlain played for Fulham between 1954 and 1964. Not only was he a firm favourite at Craven Cottage but he was also a popular member of his local community.

Jim Potton, who lived in Settrington Road writes; "Everyone thought the world of Tosh and he used to coach us in South Park from time to time. I knew his oldest son Steve who was a year younger than me."

John Warren was a  neighbour  in Rosebury Road during the mid sixties. "Trevor was certainly a character. We'd have a brief chat when we saw each other. His son was a playmate of my lad in those days. I knew Tosh after he left Fulham and was playing as a part-time semi professional with Dover Town whilst selling attire for a well known company."

Even when Chamberlain was playing in the old First Division of the Football League or the equivalent of today's Premiership he lived in a modest terraced house in Rosebury Road and topped up his meagre pay as a footballer with income from part-time work, as John Wright, who lived in nearby Hazlebury Road recalls; "To supplement his earnings as a footballer Tosh used to work four afternoons in the local bookies around the corner. How times have changed." 

Peter Brown, a Fulham fan since 1951, who lives near Craven Cottage in Stevenage Road remembers Tosh Chamberlain with great affection;  "Of all the characters of the past Tosh Chamberlain holds a special place in my heart. Like all players Tosh had two legs. However with him the right leg was for standing on and the left was for kicking. I don't remember ever seeing him kick with his right boot ! Having said that he had a lot of skill and scored many goals for Fulham, mostly from a Johnny Haynes pass. In fact I remember one when his shot was so hard it stuck in the back of the net!"

Chamberlain’s comic antics are recalled by two famous Fleet Street journalists. Writing shortly after Johnny Haynes's death in 2005, Brian James provided some amusing examples of the banter which regularly took place between the two Fulham men. 'There was a famous occasion when, having received a calibrated pass from Haynes, Tosh promptly booted the ball high and wide. Much hands on hipping from Haynes. “Ain’t he an effing big ‘ead?” cried Chamberlain, at which he was accosted by the Welsh referee Mervyn Griffiths. “What’s that?” he demanded. “What’s your name?” “Don’t be a **** ref,” responded Chamberlain, “He’s on our side!” '

Chamblerlain and Johnny Haynes (right)

James also remembers a pre-season friendly in Italy when Fulham were playing Sampdoria. “Chip it, Tosh!” said Haynes. Whereupon Chamberlain ran up to the ball for a shot so ferocious that, in the words of another Fulham player, “If it hadn’t been for the net, the ball would have ended up in the Mediterranean.”  As they went back for the kick off, Haynes said, “I thought I told you to chip it, Tosh!” "I did" said Chamberlain.

George Cohen, a defender at the Club during the 50s and 60s and a World Cup winner with England in 1966, also remembers the funny side of Chamberlain***. " He used to stand outside the ground on match days calling everybody darling."

More of Chamberlain's antics are recalled by former team mate Alan Mullery, who went on to play for Tottenham and England. He remembers a team training run to Putney where "Chamberlain managed to hitch a lift on the back of a mate's milk float!"**

Several  tales have been passed down over the years like how the winger once left the field of play to plant a kiss on the cheek of a pretty female fan or how on another occasion he went off to have a quick puff of a cigarette.

He  made 187 appearances for the Club between 1954 and 1965 and scored 187 goals. During his period at Craven Cottage Fulham faced constant relegation battles from the old first division and periods in the old second division but they did achieve tenth place in season 1959-60- one of their best ever finishes. Below is the league table for that year.

He made his Fulham first team debut in 1954 scoring in the very first minute against Lincoln in the old Second Division but one of his greatest performances was a hatrick in a 5-4 FA Cup defeat against Newcastle. He also played in one of the best ever matches between Fulham and Manchester United - an FA Cup Semi Final shortly after the Munich Air Crash in 1958. Then a second division team, Fulham held out for a 2-2 draw in the first match only to lose 5-3 in the replay. United went on to lose a very emotional Final against Bolton.

In his autobiography** Sir Bobby Charlton, the former Manchester United and England World Cup winning star described Chamberlain as "an eccentric but spectacular winger." The two men were often compared because of the power of their shooting. George Cohen said Chamberlain "could kick the leather off a ball"  and popular Gibraltarian goalkeeper Tony Macedo once wrote in the  Charles Buchan's Football Monthly publication; "Charlton often scored because of his capacity to be able to surprise goalkeepers but Chamberlain could score from any angle and had a harder, if not sometimes wayward shot."

The Fulham winger once caused his goalkeeper a rib injury due to the power of his back pass!

Chamberlain left Fulham  for Southern League club Dover Town in 1965. There was no longer a regular first team spot for him at Craven Cottage as new manager Vic Buckingham started rebuilding the team with younger players. 

Chamberlain in Dover team photo (front row left). And photographed by Fulham supporter Ken Coton in 2003 for the 'Back To The Cottage' campaign.