Alan Smith (footballer, born 1921)

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Alan Smith
Personal information
Full name Alan Smith[1]
Date of birth (1921-10-15)15 October 1921
Place of birth Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Date of death 27 May 2019(2019-05-27) (aged 97)[2]
Place of death East Sussex, England
Position(s) Outside left
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1946 Arsenal 3 (0)
1946–1949 Brentford 13 (4)
1949–1950 Leyton Orient 6 (1)
1950–1953 Tonbridge
1953–1954 Ashford Town 26 (6)
1954–1955 Whitstable
1955–1956 Ramsgate Athletic
1956 Dover
1956–1957 Whitstable
1957 Tunbridge Wells United (trial)
1957–1958 Chatham Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alan Smith (15 October 1921 – 27 May 2019) was an English professional footballer who played as an outside left in the Football League for Arsenal, Brentford, and Leyton Orient making a total of 22 appearances, scoring 5 goals.[3]

Playing career[edit]

Smith joined First Division club Arsenal in May 1946 after being demobbed from the Army.[4] He made his league debut, aged 24, on 7 September 1946 against Sunderland. He made only a further two appearances for "The Gunners" before, in December 1946, being transferred to another First Division club Brentford.[5] Smith scored his first league goal on 26 December 1946 for Brentford in a 2–1 victory against Sheffield United and scored a total of three goals in ten league appearances for "The Bees" over the 1946–47 season – at the end of which the club were relegated. He did not play any further league matches for Brentford until the tail-end of the 1948–49 season, when he appeared in three Second Division matches, scoring one goal.

In July 1949 Smith was part of a player exchange deal (with Reg Newton moving in the opposite direction) that took him to Leyton Orient[6] of the Football League Third Division South. He played in six matches, scoring one goal for "The Os" in the 1949–50 season. During the summer of 1950 Smith moved to non-league football when he signed with Tonbridge[7] of the Southern Football League, reuniting with his former Brentford manager Harry Curtis. He spent three seasons with Tonbridge, and had the misfortune to suffer a broken leg break during the 1951–52 season albeit he was fit for the start his final season, 1952–53, with "The Angels".[8]

Smith next signed with Ashford Town,[9] who were managed by his former Brentford team mate David Nelson and played with the club for a single season, 1953–54, in the Kent League (his subsequent clubs were all members of this league). In September 1954 Smith joined Whitstable[10] where he remained until early December 1955 when he then signed for Ramsgate Athletic.[11] However, after a few games for "The Rams" reserves team, in February 1956 he to moved on to Dover.[12] At the start of the following, 1956–57, season Smith rejoined Whitstable,[13] however on 3 April 1957 he played his final match for "The Oystermen" – a midweek Thames and Medway Combination match against Tunbridge Wells United – as he was leaving the UK for Canada.[14] However, Smith returned after several months and again played in the Kent League: in August 1957 he had a one month trial with Tunbridge Wells United,[15] and then in October 1957 he joined Chatham Town[16] for whom he played during the remainder of the 1957–58 season.

Personal life[edit]

Whilst in Canada, Smith worked for a time at a uranium mine, then on his return to the UK he worked as a painter and decorator and also for the London Electricity Board. Together with his wife he was a medal winning ballroom dancer.[2]

Smith died in East Sussex, England on 27 May 2019, aged 87.

Career statistics[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Arsenal 1946–47[17] First Division 3 0 — — 3 0
Brentford 1946–47[18] First Division 10 3 4 0 — 14 3
1948–49[18] Second Division 3 1 0 0 — 3 1
Total 13 4 4 0 — 17 4
Leyton Orient 1949–50[19] Third Division South 6 1 0 0 — 6 1
Ashford Town 1953–54[9] Kent League 26 6 2 0 4[a] 0 32 6
Career total 48 11 6 0 4 0 58 11
  1. ^ 2 appearances in Kent League Cup, 1 appearance in Kent Senior Cup, 1 appearance in Kent Senior Shield

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Alan Smith". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Alan Smith: 1921 – 2019". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  3. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 147. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  4. ^ "Two big names may be at the bottom tonight". Daily Mirror. London. 7 September 1946. p. 7.
  5. ^ "Time Their Luck Turned!". Daily Mirror. London. 14 December 1946. p. 9.
  6. ^ "Albion's Winger". Daily Herald. London. 20 July 1949. p. 6.
  7. ^ "This Was Indeed A Good Omen". Tonbridge Free Press. Tonbridge. 18 August 1950. p. 7.
  8. ^ "Sports Chatter: Angels' Retained List". Tonbridge Free Press. Tonbridge. 15 August 1952. p. 5.
  9. ^ a b "Alan Smith Player Profile". The Nuts and Bolts Archive. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Ted Harding Signs New Left Winger". Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald. Whitstable. 11 September 1954. p. 4.
  11. ^ "Talking Sport". East Kent Times and Mail. Ramsgate. 2 December 1955. p. 5.
  12. ^ "Talking Sport". East Kent Times and Mail. Ramsgate. 15 February 1956. p. 2.
  13. ^ "Football: Two More Signings". Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald. Whitstable. 28 July 1956. p. 4.
  14. ^ "Presentation To Alan Smith". Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald. Whitstable. 6 April 1957. p. 4.
  15. ^ "Tunbridge Wells were out of luck". Kent Messenger & Gravesend Telegraph. Maidstone. 30 August 1957. p. 10.
  16. ^ "Chatham lose two of their half-backs". Kent Messenger & Gravesend Telegraph. Maidstone. 11 October 1957. p. 11.
  17. ^ "Alan Smith". 11v11.com. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  18. ^ a b White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 379–380. ISBN 0951526200.
  19. ^ Alan Smith at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)


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