Joe Smith (footballer, born 1890)

Joseph Smith (17 April 1890 – 9 June 1956) was an English professional footballer who played as a right back. He played nearly 500 games in the Football League for West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham (now Birmingham City), most of which were in the First Division, and won two caps for England.

Joe Smith
Personal information
Full name Joseph Smith
Date of birth (1890-04-17)17 April 1890
Place of birth Netherton, Dudley, Worcestershire, England
Date of death 9 June 1956(1956-06-09) (aged 66)
Place of death Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1]
Position(s) Right back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
– Netherton St Andrew's
– Darby End Victoria
– Cradley Heath St Luke's
1910–1926 West Bromwich Albion 434 (0)
1926–1929 Birmingham 48 (0)
1929–1932 Worcester City
International career
1919–1922 England 2 (0)
Managerial career
1929–1932 Worcester City (player-manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Smith was born in Darby End in the Netherton area of Dudley, Worcestershire (now West Midlands). He played local football before turning professional with West Bromwich Albion in May 1910, and made his debut four months later in a Division Two match against Bolton Wanderers.[2] He was part of the Albion team that won promotion from the Second Division in the 1910–11 season. During the First World War he made guest appearances for Everton and Notts County.[3] When competitive football resumed after the war, he was selected for England for the first time, in a 1–1 draw with Ireland in October 1919; he made one further appearance for England in 1922.[4] Smith contributed to West Bromwich Albion winning the First Division in the 1919–20 season, and went on to play 434 league matches for the club.[5]

In 1926, by which time he was 36 years old, Smith joined Birmingham, to provide cover at full-back for Frank Womack and Jack Jones. He stayed with the club for three seasons, playing 50 games, including 48 in the First Division.[3]

He then joined Worcester City as player-manager, leading them to the Birmingham & District League title in his first season, then two years later finishing as runners-up, losing the title only on goal average, after which he retired from the game.[3][6]

Later life

After retiring from football, Smith went on to keep a pub, and later worked at Lloyds Proving House in Netherton, where chain was tested for quality. He died in hospital in Wolverhampton in 1956, at the age of 66.[3]

References
  1. Official Football Programme. Programme Syndicate for Everton F.C. and Liverpool F.C. 10 September 1927. p. 12.
  2. Matthews, Tony (2005). The Who's Who of West Bromwich Albion. Breedon Books. p. 218. ISBN 1-85983-474-4.
  3. Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  4. "Joseph Smith". englandstats.com. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  5. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 244. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  6. "Worcester City". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 17 September 2008.

Joe Smith at Englandstats.com

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