Ian Paul Smith (born 22 January 1976) is an English footballer who played in the Football League for Burnley, Oldham Athletic, Hartlepool United and Sheffield Wednesday.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ian Paul Smith[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 22 January 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Easington, England | ||
| Positions | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–2001 | Burnley | 112 | (5) |
| 2000 | → Oldham Athletic (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2001–2003 | Hartlepool United | 55 | (4) |
| 2003–2005 | Sheffield Wednesday | 27 | (2) |
| 2006 | Alfreton Town | ||
| 2006 | Kidderminster Harriers | 3 | (0) |
| 2007–2010 | Sheffield | ||
| 2010–???? | Hucknall Town | 0 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11:55, 22 July 2010 (UTC) | |||
Career
editSmith turned professional in July 1992 with Burnley. He was subject of multimillion-pound bids from Arsenal, West Ham United, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Everton and was widely considered to have the best left foot outside the Premier League.[citation needed] Smith joined Hartlepool United on a free transfer in November 2001.[1] He quickly settled in as a first team regular,[3] topping the Division's assists charts (with 37)[citation needed] as Hartlepool reached the Division Three play-offs. He rejoined former Hartlepool manager Chris Turner as he moved to Sheffield Wednesday when his Hartlepool contract expired at the end of the 2002–03 season, after helping the club to promotion.[3][4] He scored a goal on his second substitute appearance[5] and a 20-yard volley on his full debut,[6] but the knee injury which deprived him of the chance to face off against his former team in the play-off final,[7] forced his retirement from professional football.[8] He was released shortly after Wednesday won promotion to the Football League Championship.[9]
In January 2006 he played a few games for Conference North club Alfreton Town,[10] from where he joined Conference National side Kidderminster Harriers in February,[8] but made just three substitute appearances for Harriers before leaving in the summer of 2006.[2] He signed for Sheffield F.C. in the summer of 2007, swept the board of player-of-the-year awards for the 2008–09 season, and left the club in January 2010.[11] He joined Hucknall Town in June 2010.[12]
Personal life
editAfter finishing his playing career, Smith began a career in human resources and is a director of workforce planning for the NHS.[13]
External links
edit- Paul Smith at Soccerbase
References
edit- 1 2 Hugman, Barry, ed. (2005). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2005/2006. Queen Anne Press. p. 379. ISBN 978-1-85291-662-6.
- 1 2 "Paul Smith". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- 1 2 "Paul Smith". In The Mad Crowd. John Phillips. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ↑ "Owls Trio Complete Move". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 3 July 2003. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ↑ "Games played by Paul Smith in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ↑ Tallentire, Mark (8 September 2003). "Round-up". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ↑ "Owls Fit For Final". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 27 May 2005. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- 1 2 "Yates Turns To Former Team-Mate". Non-League Daily. 1 February 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ↑ "Four Offered New Deals". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 31 May 2005. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ↑ "Manager Apologises To Fans". Non-League Daily. 12 January 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ↑ "Paul Smith – Defender". Sheffield F.C. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ↑ http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/sport/Town-sign-Badgers-skipper-in.6371845.jp [dead link]
- ↑ "Where Are They Now? HARTLEPOOL U 2002-03". The Football League Paper. 5 September 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2023.