Nigel Smith (footballer, born 1958)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nigel Paul Smith[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 3 January 1958 | ||
| Place of birth | Banstead, England | ||
| Position(s) | Central defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Banstead Athletic | |||
| Queens Park Rangers | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1975–1978 | Brentford | 85 | (0) |
| 1978–1979 | Cambridge United | 1 | (0) |
| Woking | |||
| Metropolitan Police | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Nigel Paul Smith (born 3 January 1958) is an English former professional footballer who played as a central defender in the Football League for Brentford and Cambridge United.
Club career
[edit]Early years
[edit]Smith began his career with hometown club Banstead Athletic, before moving to the reserve team at Second Division club Queens Park Rangers, for which he made 20 appearances.[2]
Brentford
[edit]In March 1975, Smith transferred to Fourth Division club Brentford and was as a regular in the team during the 1975–76 and 1976–77 seasons.[1][2] After the appointment of Bill Dodgin, Smith fell out of favour and made just a handful of appearances during the 1977–78 promotion-winning season.[2] Smith had his contract cancelled and departed the Bees in October 1978,[3] after making 96 appearances for the club.[2]
Cambridge United
[edit]Smith moved up to the Second Division to sign for Cambridge United in November 1978, but made just one substitute appearance for the club.[1]
Non-league football
[edit]Smith saw out his career with spells at Isthmian League clubs Woking and Metropolitan Police.[1]
International career
[edit]During the 1975–76 season, Smith was called up to train with the England U18 squad, but failed to appear in a match.[2] He later represented the England Police team.[3]
Personal life
[edit]After retiring from professional football, Smith joined the Metropolitan Police.[3]
Career statistics
[edit]| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brentford | 1974–75[4] | Fourth Division | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1975–76[4] | 37 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 0 | ||
| 1976–77[4] | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 0 | ||
| 1977–78[4] | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 1978–79[4] | Third Division | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 85 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 94 | 0 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Nigel Smith". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 149. ISBN 978-0955294914.
- ^ a b c Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 275. ISBN 978-1906796709.
- ^ a b c d e White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 393–395. ISBN 0951526200.
External links
[edit]- Nigel 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. |
- 1958 births
- Living people
- People from Banstead
- English men's footballers
- Men's association football defenders
- Brentford F.C. players
- Cambridge United F.C. players
- Metropolitan Police F.C. players
- Banstead Athletic F.C. players
- English Football League players
- Isthmian League players
- Queens Park Rangers F.C. players
- Woking F.C. players
- Footballers from Surrey
- English football defender, 1950s birth stubs