Alex Smith (footballer, born 1976)

Alexander Philip Smith (born 15 February 1976) is an English former footballer who made 263 professional appearances in an eleven-year career. He played in either a creative midfield role or full back position.

Alex Smith
Personal information
Full name Alexander Philip Smith[1]
Date of birth (1976-02-15) 15 February 1976[2]
Place of birth Liverpool, England[2]
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[3]
Position(s) Full-back / Midfielder
Youth career
1994–1996 Everton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1998 Swindon Town 31 (1)
1998 → Huddersfield Town (loan) 6 (0)
1998–1999 Chester City 32 (2)
1999–2001 Port Vale 58 (2)
2001–2003 Reading 14 (2)
2002–2003 → Shrewsbury Town (loan) 13 (0)
2003–2004 Chester City 20 (4)
2004–2006 Wrexham 44 (0)
2006–2007 Southport 10 (1)
Total 228 (12)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

A former Everton trainee, he started his career with Swindon Town in 1996. Two years later he was loaned out to Huddersfield Town, and transferred to Chester City. An impressive season won him a move to Port Vale, where he lifted the Football League Trophy in 2001. He left the club later that year to sign with Reading, where he remained for two years. He spent time on loan at Shrewsbury Town, but returned to Chester for their 2003–04 Conference National winning campaign. Following this he moved on to Wrexham, prior to a season with Southport in 2006–07.

Career

Smith started his career as a trainee at Everton; he never made the first team and was instead transferred to Swindon Town in January 1996.[4] However, he was used mainly as a substitute in their Second Division winning 1995–96 season and in their subsequent First Division campaigns. In all he made 31 appearances for Steve McMahon's "Robins", scoring his first senior goal in a 2–1 win over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on 8 February 1997. He enjoyed a two-month loan spell with Huddersfield Town in January 1998, and featured six times at the Galpharm Stadium under Peter Jackson. At the end of the 1997–98 season he left the County Ground on a free transfer to Kevin Ratcliffe's Chester City. Within nine months at the Cheshire club he had raised his profile after making some impressive performances during his 32 Third Division appearances in 1998–99.

Smith was purchased by Brian Horton's Port Vale in March 1999 for a fee of £75,000. He played eight games in the rest of the campaign, helping Vale to edge away from relegation, but only played 15 games in 1999–2000, as the "Valiants" were relegated into the third tier. He made 47 appearances in 2000–01, helping the club to lift the Football League Trophy in 2001 with a 2–1 victory over Brentford at the Millennium Stadium.[5]

After this success he left Vale Park for Alan Pardew's Reading on a free transfer.[6] He played 17 games in 2001–02, as the "Royals" won promotion as the Second Division's runners-up. He then found himself out of the first team picture at the Madejski Stadium, and spent December onwards of the 2002–03 season on loan at Shrewsbury Town, who were managed by his former boss Kevin Ratcliffe.[7] He played 18 games for a "Shrews" side that were ultimately relegated out of the Third Division.

Now a free agent, he rejoined Chester in November 2003, and made twenty appearances in their Conference National topping season, thus helping Mark Wright's "Seals" back into the Football League. However, he left the Deva Stadium for rivals Wrexham, then in League One, in July 2004.[8][9] He played 30 times for Denis Smith's "Dragons" in 2004–05, as the Welsh club were relegated into League Two after being deducted ten points for entering administration. He played 23 games in 2005–06, before leaving the Racecourse Ground to play for Southport in August 2006. He played ten games at Haig Avenue in the 2006–07 season, as the "Sandgrounders" were relegated out of the Conference National.[10]

Career statistics
Club Season Division League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Everton1994–95[11]Premier League0000000000
1995–96[12]Premier League0000000000
Total 0000000000
Swindon Town1995–96[12]Second Division8000000080
1996–97[13]First Division181000000181
1997–98[14]First Division5000000050
Total 311000000311
Huddersfield Town (loan)1997–98[14]First Division6000000060
Chester City1998–99[15]Third Division32200411[lower-alpha 1]0373
Port Vale1998–99[15]First Division8000000080
1999–2000[16]First Division130002000150
2000–01[17]Second Division37220107[lower-alpha 1]1[lower-alpha 1]473
Total 582203071703
Reading2001–02[18]Second Division13210211[lower-alpha 1]0173
2002–03[19]First Division1000000010
Total 142102110183
Shrewsbury Town (loan)2002–03[19]Third Division130200000180
Chester City2003–04[20]Conference National204000000204
Wrexham2004–05[21]League One24010203[lower-alpha 1]0300
2005–06[22]League Two20010101[lower-alpha 1]0230
Total 440203040530
Southport2006–07[23]Conference National101000000101
Career total 228127012216126315
  1. Appearance/s and goal/s in the EFL Trophy.

Honours

Swindon Town

Port Vale

Reading

Chester City

References
  1. "Alex Smith". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  2. "Player Details". SFC FPA. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  3. "FootballSquads – Port Vale – 2000/01". footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  4. "Swindon-Town-FC.co.uk – Alex SMITH – Player Profile". swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  5. "Vale vault Brentford to lift Vans trophy". BBC Sport. 22 April 2001. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  6. "Reading bag Vale's Smith". BBC Sport. 18 July 2001. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  7. "Shrews bag Smith on loan". BBC Sport. 13 December 2002. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  8. "Wrexham line up Smith". BBC Sport. 8 July 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  9. "Wrexham target Smith". BBC Sport. 8 July 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  10. "2006/07 Appearances". southportfcstats.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  11. "Games played by Alex Smith in 1994/1995". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  12. "Games played by Alex Smith in 1995/1996". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  13. "Games played by Alex Smith in 1996/1997". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  14. "Games played by Alex Smith in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  15. "Games played by Alex Smith in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  16. "Games played by Alex Smith in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  17. "Games played by Alex Smith in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  18. "Games played by Alex Smith in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  19. "Games played by Alex Smith in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  20. "Games played by Alex Smith in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  21. "Games played by Alex Smith in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  22. "Games played by Alex Smith in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  23. "Games played by Alex Smith in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  24. "Vale vault Brentford to lift Vans trophy". BBC Sport. 22 April 2001. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
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