Alex Smith (footballer, born 1976)

Alex Smith

Personal information
Full name	Alexander Philip Smith
Date of birth	15 February 1976
Place of birth	Liverpool, England
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Playing position	Full-back / Midfielder
Youth career
1994–1996	Everton
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1996–1998	Swindon Town	31	(1)
1998	→ Huddersfield Town (loan)	6	(0)
1998–1999	Chester City	32	(2)
1999–2001	Port Vale	58	(2)
2001–2003	Reading	14	(2)
2002–2003	→ Shrewsbury Town (loan)	13	(0)
2003–2004	Chester City	20	(4)
2004–2006	Wrexham	44	(0)
2006–2007	Southport	10	(1)
Total		228	(12)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals)

Alexander Philip "Alex" Smith (born 15 February 1976) is an English former footballer who made 263 professional appearances in an eleven-year career. He played in either a creative midfield role or full back position.

A former Everton trainee, he started his career with Swindon Town in 1996. Two years later he was loaned out to Huddersfield Town, and transferred to Chester City. An impressive season won him a move to Port Vale, where he lifted the Football League Trophy in 2001. He left the club later that year to sign with Reading, where he remained for two years. He spent time on loan at Shrewsbury Town, but returned to Chester for their 2003–04 Conference National winning campaign. Following this he moved on to Wrexham, prior to a season with Southport in 2006–07.

Playing career

Smith started his career as a trainee at Everton; he never made the first team and was instead transferred to Swindon Town in January 1996. However he was used mainly as a substitute in their Second Division winning 1995–96 season and in their subsequent First Division campaigns. In all he made 31 appearances for Steve McMahon's "Robins", scoring his first senior goal in a 2–1 win over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on 8 February 1997. He enjoyed a two-month loan spell with Huddersfield Town in January 1998, and featured six times at the Galpharm Stadium under Peter Jackson. At the end of the 1997–98 season he left the County Ground on a free transfer to Kevin Ratcliffe's Chester City. Within nine months at the Cheshire club he had raised his profile after making some impressive performances during his 32 Third Division appearances in 1998–99.

Smith was purchased by Brian Horton's Port Vale in March 1999 for a fee of £75,000. He played eight games in the rest of the campaign, helping Vale to edge away from relegation, but only played 15 games in 1999–2000, as the "Valiants" were relegated into the third tier. He made 47 appearances in 2000–01, helping the club to lift the Football League Trophy in 2001 with a 2–1 victory over Brentford at the Millennium Stadium.^[1]

After this success he left Vale Park for Alan Pardew's Reading on a free transfer.^[2] He played 17 games in 2001–02, as the "Royals" won promotion as the Second Division's runners-up. He then found himself out of the first team picture at the Madejski Stadium, and spent December onwards of the 2002–03 season on loan at Shrewsbury Town, who were managed by his former boss Kevin Ratcliffe.^[3] He played 18 games for a "Shrews" side that were ultimately relegated out of the Third Division.

Now a free agent, he rejoined Chester in November 2003, and made twenty appearances in their Conference National topping season, thus helping Mark Wright's "Seals" back into the Football League. However he left the Deva Stadium for rivals Wrexham, then in League One, in July 2004.^[4][5] He played 30 times for Denis Smith's "Dragons" in 2004–05, as the Welsh club were relegated into League Two after being deducted ten points for entering administration. He played 23 games in 2005–06, before leaving the Racecourse Ground to play for Southport in August 2006. He played ten games at Haig Avenue in the 2006–07 season, as the "Sandgrounders" were relegated out of the Conference National.^[6]

Statistics

Season	Club	Division	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Other[7]		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1994–95	Everton	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1995–96			0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total			0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1995–96	Swindon Town	Second Division	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
1996–97[8]		First Division	18	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	1
1997–98[9]			5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
1997–98[9]	Huddersfield Town (loan)		6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
Total			31	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	31	1
1998–99[10]	Chester City	Third Division	32	2	0	0	4	1	1	0	37	3
Total			32	2	0	0	4	1	1	0	37	3
1998–99[10]	Port Vale	First Division	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
1999–2000[11]			13	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	15	0
2000–01[12]		Second Division	37	2	2	0	1	0	7	1	47	3
Total			58	2	2	0	3	0	7	1	70	3
2001–02[13]	Reading	Second Division	13	2	1	0	2	1	1	0	17	3
2002–03[14]		First Division	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
2002–03[14]	Shrewsbury Town (loan)	Third Division	13	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	18	0
Total			14	2	1	0	2	1	1	0	18	3
2003–04[15]	Chester City	Conference National	20	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	20	4
Total			20	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	20	4
2004–05[16]	Wrexham	League One	24	0	1	0	2	0	3	0	30	0
2005–06[17]		League Two	20	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	23	0
Total			44	0	2	0	3	0	4	0	53	0
2006–07[18]	Southport	Conference National	10	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	1
Total			10	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	1
Career total			228	12	7	0	12	2	16	1	263	15

Honours

with Swindon Town

• Football League Second Division champion: 1995–96

with Port Vale

• Football League Trophy winner: 2001^[19]

with Reading

• Football League Second Division runner-up: 2001–02

with Chester City

• Conference National champion: 2003–04

References

1. "Vale vault Brentford to lift Vans trophy". BBC Sport. 22 April 2001. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
2. "Reading bag Vale's Smith". BBC Sport. 18 July 2001. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
3. "Shrews bag Smith on loan". BBC Sport. 13 December 2002. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
4. "Wrexham line up Smith". BBC Sport. 8 July 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
5. "Wrexham target Smith". BBC Sport. 8 July 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
6. "2006/07 Appearances". southportfcstats.co.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
7. Includes other competitive competitions, including the Football League Trophy.
8. "Games played by Alex Smith in 1996/1997". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
9. "Games played by Alex Smith in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
10. "Games played by Alex Smith in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
11. "Games played by Alex Smith in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
12. "Games played by Alex Smith in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
13. "Games played by Alex Smith in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
14. "Games played by Alex Smith in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
15. "Games played by Alex Smith in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
16. "Games played by Alex Smith in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
17. "Games played by Alex Smith in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
18. "Games played by Alex Smith in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
19. "Vale vault Brentford to lift Vans trophy". BBC Sport. 22 April 2001. Retrieved 19 January 2016.

External links

• Alex Smith career statistics at Soccerbase