Elijah Smith (footballer)

Elijah Smith

Personal information
Full name	Elijah Smith[1]
Date of birth	1860[1]
Place of birth	Stoke-upon-Trent, England[1]
Date of death	Unknown
Playing position	Half back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
–	Tunstall
1883–1890	Stoke	25	(0)
–	Stafford Road
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals)

Elijah Smith (1860 – unknown) was an English footballer who played for in the Football League for Stoke.^[1]

Career

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. He was also a member of Stoke team which competed in the first season of the Football League where he made 21 appearances in the 1888–89 season.^[1] He played a further four matches for Stoke before leaving in 1890 and he joined Wolverhampton based Stafford Road.^[1]

Career statistics

Club	Season	League		FA Cup		Total
		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	21	0	0	0	21	0
	1889–90	4	0	0	0	4	0
Career Total		25	0	8	0	33	0

References

1. Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.