Wilf Smith (footballer, born 1946)

Wilfred Samuel Smith (born Schmidt, 3 September 1946) is an English former professional footballer who played as a full-back in the Football League for six different teams between 1963 and 1978.

Wilf Smith
Personal information
Full name Wilfred Samuel Smith
Date of birth (1946-09-03) 3 September 1946
Place of birth Neumünster, Germany
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Full-back
Youth career
Sheffield Boys
1962–1963 Sheffield Wednesday
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1963–1970 Sheffield Wednesday 206 (4)
1970–1975 Coventry City 135 (1)
1974 → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 5 (0)
1975 → Millwall (loan) 5 (0)
1975–1976 Bristol Rovers 54 (2)
1976–1978 Chesterfield 27 (2)
Total 432 (9)
International career
England Youth
England Under-23s 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

Born in Neumünster, Germany, Smith moved to Britain with his family when he was a child. They anglicised their surname from Schmidt to Smith at this time. He joined Sheffield Wednesday after leaving school, and captained both Sheffield Boys and England youth.[1]

Smith initially joined Wednesday as an apprentice in 1962, but turned professional with them in September 1963 when he turned 17. In all he made 206 League appearances for The Owls, scoring four times, before leaving to join Coventry City in 1970. He played 135 League matches in a five-year stay with the Sky Blues, but he found himself loaned out to both Brighton & Hove Albion and Millwall in his final season with the Midland club.[2]

He rounded off his footballing career with a 20-month spell at Bristol Rovers between March 1975 and November 1976,[3] followed by nineteen months at Chesterfield. He played a total of 432 Football League games, and scored nine goals during his career.

After hanging up his boots, Smith moved into retail, and in 1994 he was reputed to have become a millionaire through his off-the-field business.[1]

References
  1. Jay, Mike; Byrne, Stephen (1994). Pirates in Profile: A Who's Who of Bristol Rovers Players. Bristol: Potten, Baber & Murray. p. 245. ISBN 0-9524835-0-5.
  2. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (1998). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–1998. Harpenden: Queen Anne Press. p. 509. ISBN 1-85291-585-4.
  3. Byrne, Stephen; Jay, Mike (2003). Bristol Rovers Football Club - The Definitive History 1883-2003. Stroud: Tempus. p. 505. ISBN 0-7524-2717-2.
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