Ben Smith (midfielder)
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| Ben Smith | ||
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Benjamin Peter Smith | |
| Date of birth | November 23, 1978 | |
| Place of birth | Chelmsford, England | |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | |
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Hereford United | |
| Number | 8 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| Arsenal | ||
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1995–1996 1996–1998 1998–2001 2001–2002 2002–2004 2004–2006 2006–2007 2007– |
Arsenal Reading Yeovil Town Southend United Hereford United Shrewsbury Town Weymouth Hereford United |
0 (0) 1 (0) 71 (14) 1 (0) 52 (18) 24 (4) 44 (13) 62 (6) |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Ben Smith (born November 23, 1978 in Chelmsford, Essex) is an English footballer who currently plays for Hereford United as a midfielder.
He began his career at Arsenal where he signed his first professional contract in 1995, but could not break into the first team and moved to Reading, where he took part in his first professional match against Manchester City. However, after making just one league appearance he moved to Yeovil Town where he played over 70 league games. He then spent the 2001-2002 season with Southend United but struggled to make an impact and left for Hereford United, for whom he made 52 league appearances and scored 18 goals in a two-season-long spell. An injury to his shoulder meant he required an operation in March 2004, shortly before joining Shrewsbury Town. He made 24 league appearances for the Shropshire club. He joined Weymouth in January 2006, playing a significant role in the run in to the Conference South championship.
Weymouth's first Conference match in 17 years saw Ben score the opening goal, in the first minute against Tamworth. He went on to play in every first team match for the Terras up until the turn of the year, when he scored twice in a 3-2 defeat to Forest Green which turned out to be his last match for the club. The entire Weymouth squad had been transfer listed, due to financial problems, even though Smith had only recently signed a contract extension until 2009. Five league clubs expressed an interest in signing the Weymouth captain, and on 25 January 2007, Weymouth confirmed that he had rejoined Hereford United for £20,000 on a 2 and a half year contract. This was the first transfer fee that the Bulls had paid since the signing of Neil Grayson in 1997.
Ben made an impact on his return to Edgar Street against Notts County, hitting the post in the build up to the first goal and providing the assist for the second goal. He went on to play in all Hereford's remaining matches of the 2006-07 season, scoring at home to Barnet in the process. He also wore the captain's armband in many of the matches.
Smith has been a virtual ever-present this season and has been Hereford's best player in recent weeks, as noted by Graham Turner. He capped his performances with his third goal of the season against Lincoln City. This match was also his 100th competitive appearance for the club.
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