Elijah Smith (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Elijah Smith[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1860[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Stoke-upon-Trent, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | circa 1935[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Half back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1882–1883 | Tunstall | ||
| 1883–1890 | Stoke | 25 | (0) |
| 1890 | Stafford Road | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Elijah Smith (1860 – circa 1935) was an English footballer who played for in the Football League for Stoke.[1]
Career[edit]
Smith played for local side Tunstall before joining Stoke in 1883.[1] Smith combined being a footballer with his work as a vicar at the local church because of this he was known as 'Father Smith' to his Stoke teammates.[1] He played in the club's first competitive match in the FA Cup against Manchester in a 2–1 defeat. Smith was a member of Stoke team which competed in the first season of the Football League.[1] He made his league debut on 8 September 1888, at wing-half for Stoke in a 2–0 defeat by West Bromwich Albion at the Victoria Ground. Smith made 21 League appearances (out of 22) in the 1888–89 season as Stoke finished bottom of the table.[1][3] He played a further four matches for Stoke before leaving in 1890 and he joined Wolverhampton based Stafford Road.[1]
Career statistics[edit]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stoke[1] | 1883–84 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1884–85 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1885–86 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1886–87 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1887–88 | — | — | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1888–89 | The Football League | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| 1889–90 | The Football League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Career total | 25 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
- ^ Matthews, Tony (2005). The Who's Who of Stoke City. Breedon Books. p. 202. ISBN 1-85983-473-6.
- ^ "English National Football Archive". Retrieved 23 March 2018. (registration & fee required)