Wilf Smith (footballer, born 1917)
Wilfred Smith (18 April 1917 – 4 May 1995) was an English footballer who played as a midfielder for Port Vale either side of World War II. He made 164 appearances for the club in league and cup competitions, and later played for Buxton and Stafford Rangers.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wilfred Smith[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 18 April 1917[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Hanley, Staffordshire, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 4 May 1995 (aged 78)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, England[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Hot Lane Juniors | |||
| Sneyd Colliery | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1936–1950 | Port Vale | 87 | (0) |
| Buxton | |||
| Stafford Rangers | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
Smith joined Port Vale from Sneyd Colliery in October 1936.[1] He made his Third Division North debut in the 1936–37 season, before playing 21 league games in the 1937–38 campaign.[1] He made 37 appearances in the Third Division South during the 1938–39 campaign.[1] He guested for Nottingham Forest and Southend United during World War II.[1] He returned to The Old Recreation Ground after the war, and featured 27 times in the 1946–47 season.[1] He played only once in each of the 1947–48 and 1948–49 campaigns, and was given a free transfer in April 1950 by manager Gordon Hodgson.[1] He finished his career playing for non-League sides Buxton and Stafford Rangers, before becoming a scout for Portsmouth.[1]
Career statistics
Source:[2]
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Port Vale | 1936–37 | Third Division North | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937–38 | Third Division North | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| 1938–39 | Third Division South | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | |
| 1939–40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1945–46 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1946–47 | Third Division South | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 1947–48 | Third Division South | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1948–49 | Third Division South | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 87 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 101 | 0 | ||
References
- Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 275. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- Wilf Smith at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)