Will Smith (footballer, born 1998)

William Owen Smith (born 4 November 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for National League club York City, on loan from EFL League Two club Harrogate Town.

Will Smith
Personal information
Full name William Owen Smith[1]
Date of birth (1998-11-04) 4 November 1998
Place of birth Leeds, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.84 m)[2]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Harrogate Town
Number 5
Youth career
Barnsley
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2019 Barnsley 0 (0)
2018–2019 → Darlington (loan) 14 (1)
2019– Harrogate Town 85 (5)
2023 → Scunthorpe United (loan) 13 (3)
2023– → York City (loan) 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:36, 22 October 2023 (UTC)

Smith made his senior debut for Barnsley in the EFL Trophy in 2018, and spent time on loan at National League North club Darlington in 2018–19. He joined Harrogate Town in 2019, and helped them win the 2019–20 FA Trophy and gain promotion to the Football League for the first time in the club's history. He played regularly, injury permitting, during his first three seasons with Harrogate, and then spent time on loan to Scunthorpe United in 2022–23 and York City in 2023–24.

Career

Smith was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire.[3] He took up a scholarship with Barnsley in 2015,[4] and was named Academy Player of the Year for the 2015–16 season. He turned professional in May 2017,[5] and signed a new one-year contract in July 2018.[6] Smith made his senior debut for Barnsley on 13 November 2018 in the EFL Trophy.[7]

In December, Smith and Barnsley team-mate Romal Palmer joined National League North club Darlington on a 28-day youth loan.[8] Smith played the whole of all six of Darlington's matches during the initial loan, which was then extended to the end of the season.[3][9]

He was offered a new contract by Barnsley at the end of the 2018–19 season,[10] but chose instead to leave the club and sign for Harrogate Town of the National League.[11] According to Harrogate manager Simon Weaver, Smith showed at Darlington that he could cope with the physicality of men's football: "He's brave. He's a proper defender. He doesn't mind putting his head in there where it hurts and he knows how to defend his six-yard box. He's a big strong boy, but at the same time, he possesses that quality that the modern breed of centre-half has to have in his locker and can play football."[11]

Smith started 36 of a possible 37 league matches as Harrogate finished second in a 2019–20 National League season truncated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the play-offs, his header led to Jack Muldoon's goal by which Harrogate beat Boreham Wood in the play-off semi-final,[3][12] and in the final, despite "not [having] a straightforward afternoon up against the imposing physical presence of Kyle Wootton",[13] he helped his team beat Notts County 3–1 and gain promotion into the Football League for the first time in their history.[14] Smith was also on the winning side in that season's FA Trophy, whose final was not played until May 2021.[15]

He remained a regular starter in League Two,[16] was reportedly "in the form of his life",[17] and scored his first Football League goal on 31 October, but in the next match, he fell awkwardly after an aerial challenge and was taken to hospital with his neck in a brace. He suffered mild whiplash, but was out for nearly three months with torn tendons at the top of a hamstring.[18][17] He returned to his regular spot in the starting eleven and helped his team retain their Football League status, but suffered a dead leg in 2021 pre-season and lost his place to the experienced new signing Rory McArdle.[19][20] He played throughout October before undergoing surgery on a double hernia and did not return to the starting eleven until mid-February 2022.[21][22]

On 17 February 2023, Smith returned to the National League when he joined Scunthorpe United on an initial one-month loan.[23] Having scored three goals in six matches, the loan was extended until the end of the season,[24] during which time he played in a further seven matches without scoring.[3] He played once more for Harrogate – in an 8–0 EFL Cup defeat at home to Blackburn Rovers[25][26] – before joining National League club York City on 25 September 2023 on a month's loan.[27]

Career statistics
As of match played 18 April 2022
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Barnsley 2018–19[7] League One 0000001[lower-alpha 1]010
Darlington (loan) 2018–19[3] National League North 141———141
Harrogate Town 2019–20[3] National League 36220—8[lower-alpha 2]1463
2020–21[16] League Two 32200201[lower-alpha 1]0352
2021–22[29] League Two 17100004[lower-alpha 1]0211
2022–23[30] League Two 0000000000
2023–24[25] League Two 0000100010
Total 85520301311036
Scunthorpe United (loan) 2022–23[3] National League 133———133
York City (loan) 2023–24[3] National League 5020——70
Career total 1179403014113810
  1. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  2. Two appearances in National League play-offs, six appearances and one goal in the FA Trophy. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the semi-finals and final of the 2019–20 FA Trophy were not played until the 2020–21 season.[28][15]

Honours

Harrogate Town

References
  1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Harrogate Town" (PDF). English Football League. p. 33. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  2. "Will Smith: defender". Barnsley F.C. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  3. "W. Smith". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  4. "List of players registered as scholars in accordance with Rule C.3 between 01/07/2015 and 31/07/2015". The Football Association. August 2015. p. 54. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  5. "Will Smith Signs Professional Contract!". Barnsley F.C. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  6. "Will Smith Signs New Deal!". Barnsley F.C. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  7. "Games played by Will Smith in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  8. "Romal Palmer and Will Smith join Darlington on loan". Barnsley F.C. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  9. "Will Smith extends loan at Darlington". Barnsley F.C. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  10. "Adam Davies & Ryan Hedges: Barnsley offer Wales duo new deals". BBC Sport. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  11. Howell, Rhys (10 June 2019). "Harrogate Town add Barnsley FC defender to their squad". Harrogate Advertiser. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  12. "Harrogate Town 1–0 Boreham Wood: Jack Muldoon winner secures Wembley National League final place". BBC Sport. 25 July 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  13. Howell, Rhys (2 August 2020). "Harrogate Town 3 Notts County 1: National League play-off final player ratings". Harrogate Advertiser. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  14. Freeman, Jay (2 August 2020). "Harrogate Town 3–1 Notts County". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  15. Law, James (3 May 2021). "FA Trophy final 2019–20: Concord Rangers 0–1 Harrogate Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  16. "Games played by Will Smith in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  17. Howell, Rhys (23 December 2020). "Will Smith desperate to return from injury and 'make a difference' to Harrogate Town". Harrogate Advertiser. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  18. Howell, Rhys (4 November 2020). "Harrogate Town hopeful that 'frightening' injury sustained by Will Smith against Tranmere Rovers isn't as serious as was first feared". Harrogate Advertiser. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  19. Howell, Rhys (19 July 2021). "Harrogate Town defender Will Smith injured during victory over Newcastle United U23s". Harrogate Advertiser. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  20. Howell, Rhys (30 September 2021). "Will Smith set to return for Harrogate Town at Oldham Athletic". Harrogate Advertiser. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  21. Howell, Rhys (20 November 2021). "Harrogate Town surprised to discover severity of Will Smith's injury". Harrogate Advertiser. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  22. "Exeter City 4–3 Harrogate Town match report". Harrogate Informer. 16 February 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  23. "Will Smith joins on loan from Harrogate Town". Scunthorpe United F.C. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  24. "Will Smith extends loan spell with the Iron". Scunthorpe United F.C. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  25. "Games played by Will Smith in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  26. Howell, Rhys (31 August 2023). "Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver insists that changes were necessary for Blackburn Rovers clash". Harrogate Advertiser. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  27. Ramsey, Gabriel (25 September 2023). "Will Smith joins York City on one-month loan deal from Harrogate". The Press. York. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  28. "Football Association pick hosts for one-legged Vase and Trophy semis". The Non-League Paper. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  29. "Games played by Will Smith in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  30. "Games played by Will Smith in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
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