| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen Smith | ||
| Date of birth | 14 January 1874 | ||
| Place of birth | Abbots Bromley, England | ||
| Date of death | 19 May 1935 (aged 61) | ||
| Playing position | Outside-left | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Cannock Town | |||
| – | Rugeley | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| Hednesford Town | |||
| 1893–1901 | Aston Villa | 162 | (35) |
| 1901–1906 | Portsmouth | ||
| 1906–1908 | New Brompton | 71 | (5) |
| National team | |||
| 1895 | England | 1 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1906-1908 | New Brompton | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Stephen Smith (14 January 1874 – 19 May 1935)[1] was an England international football player in the late 19th century.
Smith was born in Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire.[2] He played for Aston Villa from 1893 to 1901, helping them to win the Football League title in 1893-94, 1895-96, 1896-97, 1898-99 and 1899-1900, as well as the FA Cup in 1895. Although Villa also won the cup in 1897 (thereby taking the "double"), Smith was not selected to play in the final although he made four appearances in the earlier rounds. He made one England appearance against Scotland in 1895.[2]
In 1901 he moved south to join Southern League Portsmouth, helping them to regain the Southern League title at the end of his first season.
He was later the second man known to have held the role of manager of Gillingham (known at the time as New Brompton F.C.),[2] a role he held from 1906 to 1908.[3]
| “ | One of the most effective players on the left wing since the time of Hodgetts. A particularly close dribbler, with a fine turn of speed, he was only robbed of the ball with difficulty, and with anything approaching a chance would centre most accurately. Being on the small side, he often suffered from the lungeous opponent, and while with the Villa received more than his share of hard knocks. Quiet and unassuming, he proved a most unselfish partner, and could always be relied upon to do his utmost. A modest winner and a good loser. | ” |
The Villa News and Record, 1 Sept. 1906
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