Lindsay Smith (English footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lindsay James Smith | ||
| Date of birth | 18 September 1954 | ||
| Place of birth | Westminster, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Central defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1970–1978 | Colchester United | 211 | (16) |
| 1977 | → Charlton Athletic (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 1978 | → Millwall (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 1978–1982 | Cambridge United | 174 | (7) |
| 1981–1982 | → Lincoln City (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 1982–1984 | Plymouth Argyle | 76 | (5) |
| 1984–1986 | Millwall | 55 | (5) |
| 1986–1989 | Cambridge United | 102 | (16) |
| 1989–1990 | Bury Town | ? | (?) |
| Total | 629 | (49) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Lindsay James Smith (born 18 September 1954), is an English former professional footballer who played as a central defender in the English Football League.
Career
[edit]Born in Westminster, Smith began his career at Colchester United. He made his debut against Grimsby Town at the age of 16 years 214 days on 20 April 1971, becoming Colchester's youngest player to appear in the league, a record that stood until 2019.[2] He went on to make 211 league appearances for Colchester, being named in the PFA Team of the Year for 1976–77 whilst with the U's. He also had loan spells at Charlton Athletic and Millwall. He was signed by Cambridge United in 1978 and where he made 174 league appearances. He was loaned out to Lincoln City during this time. He moved to Plymouth Argyle in 1982 and then to Millwall in 1984, before returning to Cambridge in 1986. He later made appearances for Bury Town.[3]
Smith had an unusual skill-set for someone who played most of his career as a defender. Originally a spindly teenager, he was known for his dribbling skills, often coming on as substitute on the left wing. He was then tried as a midfielder and then as an overlapping left back. However, as his body matured, he became strong in the air and he was used by Colchester as a central defender, and occasionally even as a target man up front. His occasional forays up the left wing from his position in central defence caught many teams by surprise.
Honours
[edit]Club
[edit]- Football League Third Division Runner-up (1): 1977–78
Individual
[edit]- PFA Team of the Year (1): 1976–77[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
- ^ "Facts and Records". cu-fc.com. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ "Lindsay Smith Profile". coludata.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ "Tier Three (League One) Honours". Coludaybyday.co.uk.
- ^ "Individual Awards". Coludaybyday.co.uk.
External links
[edit]- Lindsay Smith at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
  | This biographical article related to association football in England, about a defender born in the 1950s, is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1954 births
- Living people
- English men's footballers
- Footballers from the City of Westminster
- People from Westminster
- Men's association football defenders
- Charlton Athletic F.C. players
- Colchester United F.C. players
- Cambridge United F.C. players
- Millwall F.C. players
- Lincoln City F.C. players
- Plymouth Argyle F.C. players
- Bury Town F.C. players
- English Football League players
- Ely City F.C. players
- English football defender, 1950s birth stubs