Martin_Smith_(footballer,_born_1974)

Martin Smith (footballer, born 1974)

Martin Smith (footballer, born 1974)

English footballer

For other people named Martin Smith, see Martin Smith (disambiguation).

Martin Geoffrey Smith (born 13 November 1974 in Sunderland, England) is a former professional footballer. In his professional career he played for Darlington, Northampton Town, Huddersfield Town, Sheffield United, Sunderland and Blyth Spartans.

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At his first club, Sunderland, he was part of two Division One title winning teams which won promotion to the FA Premier League, and while he was at Sunderland he made his only appearance for the England under-21 side on 15 November 1994.[1]

Many Northampton Town supporters regard Smith as one of the most technically gifted players ever to represent the club. He memorably scored the winner in a FA Cup 3rd Round replay away at Rotherham in January 2004 giving the Cobblers a 4th round tie at home to Manchester United.

Smith joined Darlington ahead of the 2006–07 season. Sunderland born Smith started his career on Wearside. Dubbed 'The Son of Pele' by Sunderland fanzine A Love Supreme (fanzine),[2] he scored twenty-eight times in 107 starts for the North East giants in a seven-year spell, moving to Sheffield United (scoring fifteen times in 30 starts for the Blades), before joining Huddersfield Town.

Smith went on to score thirty goals in seventy-five starts, including seventeen during the 2002–03 season as the Terriers were relegated. He signed for Northampton Town from Huddersfield Town on 1 July 2003 after being chased for a few months by their then manager Martin Wilkinson. Smith started as a forward; however in recent seasons he has been used as a midfielder, continuing to regularly find the net for Northampton during their promotion from League Two during the 2005–06 season.

At the end of that season the then Northampton Town manager Colin Calderwood left for Nottingham Forest. Smith enjoyed a good relationship with Calderwood and although new Northampton Town manager John Gorman worked hard to try to keep Smith at the Sixfields Stadium, Darlington (managed at the time by David Hodgson) eventually got their man.

On 19 March 2008, Smith's contract with Darlington was cancelled.[3] On 29 August 2008 Martin Smith signed for Conference North side Blyth Spartans and made his debut the next day in the 3–0 win against Hucknall Town coming on as a late sub.

In August 2010 he signed for Kettering Town F.C. on non-contract terms.[4]

In February 2015, he made an appearance, alongside another former professional, David Duke, for Sassco.co.uk in their victory over Sunderland Deaf FC.[5]

References

  1. [1]
    "England – U-21 International Results 1986–1995 – Details". Archived from the original on 25 January 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  2. [2]
    A Love Supreme – The Independent Sunderland Football Club Fanzine
  3. [3]
    Martin Smith leaves Darlington FC – Darlington FC
  4. [4]
    "Kettering Town sign ex-Northampton striker Martin Smith". BBC Sport. 23 August 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  5. [5]
    "Sassco.co.uk 11 Sunderland DFC 10". Sassco.co.uk. 28 February 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
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