Trevor Smith (footballer)

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Trevor Smith
Personal information
Full name	Trevor Smith
Date of birth	April 13, 1936
Place of birth	Brierley Hill, England
Date of death	August 9, 2003 (aged 67)
Place of death	Essex, England
Playing position	Centre half
Youth clubs
1951–53	Birmingham City
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1953–64 1964–66	Birmingham City Walsall Career	365 0(3) 012 0(0) 377 0(3)
National team
1955–59 1955–57 1959	England U-23 England B England	015 0(0) 002 0(0) 002 0(0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Trevor Smith (April 13, 1936 – August 9, 2003) was an English footballer, who played as a centre half for Birmingham City and England.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Honours 2.1 As a player 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Biography

Smith was born in Brierley Hill, Staffordshire and attended Quarry Bank Secondary Modern School. In 1951 he captained the local schools' representative side, Brierley Hill, Sedgley and District, to its first final of the English Schools' F.A. Trophy, losing to Liverpool Schools 5–3 on aggregate. The match programme from the second leg described him thus:

"In Trevor Smith, a tall and weighty boy (nearly twelve stones) who captains the side and plays at centre half, Brierley Hill have a sheet anchor. Few centre forwards have been happy against him this season and, in addition to his stopper role, he finds time to distribute the ball effectively to his forwards."^[1]

When he left school he signed for Birmingham City as an amateur, and played for the team that won the European Youth Cup^[2] (now called Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup)^[3] the following year. He turned professional on reaching his 17th birthday in April 1953, and made his first-team debut for Birmingham, then in the Second Division, six months later, scoring an own goal in a 4–2 win at Derby.^[4] Apart from interruptions due to injury or to National Service obligations, he was a regular choice for the first team from then on.

Smith's career at Birmingham coincided with probably the best period in the club's history. Under the management of Arthur Turner, they won promotion to the First Division in 1954–55, reached the FA Cup Final and their highest ever finishing position (sixth) the following season, and then the FA Cup semifinal in 1957, only to lose to Manchester United's Busby Babes. They went on to play on the losing side in two successive Inter-Cities Fairs Cup finals,^[5][6] under Smith's captaincy. The club's success during this period was built on a solid defence, comprising a first-choice selection of international players Gil Merrick, Jeff Hall, Ken Green and Smith himself, together with wing-halves Len Boyd and hard-man Roy Warhurst.

Smith represented his country at schoolboy and youth levels, and won no fewer than 15 caps at Under-23 level.^[7] He was selected to represent England B against their West German counterparts when still only 18.^[8] He had all the attributes necessary for a top-class centre-half. Tall and powerfully built, he was good in the air and in the tackle and read the game well,^[9] combining an uncompromising physical game with good technique.^[2] When the great Billy Wright retired from international football, the 23-year-old Smith was chosen to take his place, making his England debut against Wales at Ninian Park on October 17, 1959. A calf injury sustained early on which hampered his movement meant he failed to do himself justice,^[10] but he kept his place for the next match, against Sweden later that month. England performed poorly overall against the Swedes, Smith and his defence failed to cope with Swedish forward Agne Simonsson,^[2] and he was not chosen for his country again; Brian Clough's England career was also restricted to these same two games.^[10]

By the early 1960s, Birmingham were past their best. The Cup Final team had dispersed, league form was poor, but the new League Cup competition provided some relief. In 1963 they reached the final against local rivals Aston Villa, who were hot favourites having won the league meeting two months earlier by four clear goals. However, under the captaincy of the inspirational Smith,^[2] Birmingham won the home leg by a comfortable 3–1 margin, and a goalless draw in the away leg gave them their first major trophy.

At the start of the 1964–65 season, Smith lost his place through injury, and when he recovered he moved to Walsall of the Third Division for a fee of £18,000. He was able to make only 13 appearances for the club before arthritis forced his retirement in 1966 at the age of 29. Walsall were critical of Birmingham, believing they had knowingly sold them an unfit player.^[4]

After leaving the game Smith went into the licensed trade, first with a pub in Tamworth, then as manager of off-licences in Birmingham and later in Dagenham. He retired to Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex and died 18 months later of lung cancer on August 9, 2003 at the age of 67.^[11]

[edit] Honours

[edit] As a player

Birmingham City F.C.

• European Youth Cup winners 1952
• Division Two champions 1955
• FA Cup finalist 1956
• Inter-Cities Fairs Cup runners up 1960, 1961
• Football League Cup winners 1963

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• England profile

Persondata
NAME	Smith, Trevor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Footballer
DATE OF BIRTH	1936-04-13
PLACE OF BIRTH	Brierley Hill, Staffordshire, England
DATE OF DEATH	2003-08-09
PLACE OF DEATH	Essex, England