Ben Smith
Personal information
Full name Benjamin Peter Smith
Date of birth (1978-11-23) 23 November 1978
Place of birth Chelmsford, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1996 Arsenal 0 (0)
1996–1998 Reading 1 (0)
1998–2001 Yeovil Town 113 (15)
2001–2002 Southend United 1 (0)
2002–2004 Hereford United 52 (18)
2004–2006 Shrewsbury Town 24 (4)
2006–2007 Weymouth 44 (13)
2007–2009 Hereford United 99 (7)
2009–2012 Crawley Town 68 (12)
2011 → Kettering Town (loan) 3 (0)
2011 → Woking (loan) 4 (1)
2012 → Aldershot Town (loan) 8 (0)
2012 A.F.C. Sudbury
2012–2014 Thurrock
2014 Maldon & Tiptree
Total 417 (70)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Benjamin Peter "Ben" Smith (born 23 November 1978) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder.

Career

Born in Chelmsford,[1] Smith began his career at Arsenal where he signed his first professional contract for the 1995–96 season. He never made a first team appearance at the London-based club, although he made 29 appearances and scored four goals for the youth team during that season.[2]

He moved to Reading in 1996 and made his senior debut on the final day of the 1996–97 season, coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 away defeat at Manchester City. This turned out to be his only first team appearance for the Royals and he moved to Yeovil Town in March 1998.

Despite being transfer listed in his second season, remained with the club until 2001.[3] Smith had played a key role in Yeovil's challenge for promotion to the Football League, but an agreed new contract offer was withdrawn when manager Colin Addison was sacked. Smith moved to Southend United on a free transfer, joining his former manager David Webb.[4]

He struggled to make an impact in his solitary season at Roots Hall 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 Smith 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.

Smith made an impact on his return to Edgar Street against Notts County, hitting the post in the buildup 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 started the vast majority of Hereford's matches in the 2007–08 season as the Bulls gained promotion to Football League One. He was also a regular fixture throughout the following campaign as the Bulls were relegated back to The Football League's basement division. During his two and a half-year stay at Edgar Street, Smith featured in ninety-nine league games, notching seven times.

Despite featuring regularly for Hereford United, Smith departed the club in the summer of 2009. Along with former Hereford teammate Karl Broadhurst, Smith signed for Crawley Town on a one-year contract.[5] Smith was an influential figure during his first season at Crawley, featuring in thirty-four league matches, and scoring seven times, making him the club's joint-second highest goalscorer for the season. Smith agreed terms to spend a second season with the club.[6]

In the 2010–11 season, Crawley were promoted to League Two, the fourth tier of English football, for the first time in their history after winning the Conference Premier with a record 105 points.[7][8] The club also reached the fifth round of the FA Cup where they lost 1–0 to Premier League club Manchester United – a match in which Smith played.[9] He made 35 appearances for Crawley across the 2010–11 season and scored 6 goals.[10]

In September 2011, Smith joined Kettering Town on a one-month loan.[11] He made 3 appearances for Kettering Town.[10] In November 2011, he joined Woking on loan.[12] He scored once in 4 appearances for Woking.[10] On 31 January 2012, Smith joined Aldershot Town on loan until the end of the season.[13] He made 8 appearances for Aldershot Town.[10] Crawley achieved their second consecutive promotion to League One at the end of the 2011–12 season after finishing third in League Two.[14] He scored played 5 times for the club across the 2011–12 season.[15] In May 2012, Smith was released by Crawley after being deemed surplus to requirements.[16]

He joined A.F.C. Sudbury on a one-year deal on 15 August 2012, however he played only eight games before being released on 25 September 2012. On 11 October he signed for Thurrock in the Conference South. He suffered an injury in November 2013, and in early January 2014 was released. In the middle of January he signed for Maldon & Tiptree,[17] but left he club soon afterwards.[18]

After leaving the game, Smith worked as a teacher at Maltings Academy in Essex, having earned himself a degree in business management.[19] Now living in West Sussex, he published a book Journeyman: One man's odyssey through the lower leagues of English football.[18]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Reading 1996–97[20] First Division 1000000010
1997–98[21] First Division 0000000000
Total 1000000010
Yeovil Town 1997–98 Football Conference 14500—00145
1998–99 Football Conference 31250—30392
1999–2000 Football Conference 36420—60444
2000–01 Football Conference 32450—71445
Total 113151200016114116
Southend United 2001–02[22] Third Division 1000000010
Hereford United 2002–03[23] Football Conference 24500—11256
2003–04[24] Football Conference 281321—103214
Total 52182100215720
Shrewsbury Town 2004–05[25] League Two 12300101[lower-alpha 1]0143
2005–06[26] League Two 121202000161
Total 244203010304
Weymouth 2005–06 Conference South 19300—00193
2006–07[27] Conference National 241020—002610
Total 43132000004513
Hereford United 2006–07[27] League Two 181000000181
2007–08[28] League Two 44561201[lower-alpha 1]0536
2008–09[29] League One 371201000401
Total 9978130101118
Crawley Town 2009–10[10] Conference National 34700—00347
2010–11[10] Conference National 29462—00356
2011–12[15] League Two 5100101[lower-alpha 1]071
Total 68126210108115
Kettering Town (loan) 2011–12[10] Conference National 3000—0030
Woking (loan) 2011–12[10] Conference South 4100—0041
Aldershot Town (loan) 2011–12[15] League Two 8000000080
Career total 416703147022247676

Honours

Crawley Town

References

  1. 1 2 Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2008). Sky Sports Football Yearbook: 2008–2009. London: Headline. p. 480. ISBN 978-0-7553-1819-3.
  2. ↑ Arsenal youth team appearances 1995/96 Archived 8 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine Arseweb.com. Retrieved on 27 June 2008.
  3. ↑ Smith joins ex-boss Webb Falmouth Packet, 7 June 2001. Retrieved on 27 June 2008.
  4. ↑ Smith's fury at Yeovil reversal The Gazette, 6 June 2001. Retrieved on 27 June 2008.
  5. ↑ Crawley sign four BBC Sport, 4 August 2009. Retrieved on 15 June 2010.
  6. ↑ Smith and Cogan sign new deals Archived 8 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Crawleytownfc.com, 7 May 2010. Retrieved on 15 June 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Tamworth 0–3 Crawley Town". BBC Sport. 9 April 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  8. ↑ Dunlavy, Chris (23 June 2020). "When Crawley Town succeeded in 'Project Promotion'". The Non-League Paper. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Man Utd 1-0 Crawley". BBC Sport. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ben Smith at Soccerway. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "Poppies sign Dempster and Smith". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  12. ↑ "Ben Smith Joins on Loan". Woking FC Official Site. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  13. ↑ "Smith makes Shots loan move". Sky Sports. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  14. 1 2 "Brewster hails Crawley promotion". BBC Sport. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 "Games played by Ben Smith in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  16. ↑ "Mills among Crawley casualties". Sky Sports. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  17. ↑ "Ex-AFC Midfielder Turns Author". AFC Sudbury Official Website. 2 April 2014. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  18. 1 2 Ben Smith Biteback Publishing
  19. ↑ Smith, Ben (3 September 2012). "Former Arsenal & Reading player Ben Smith on life after football". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  20. ↑ "Games played by Ben Smith in 1996/1997". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  21. ↑ "Games played by Ben Smith in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  22. ↑ "Games played by Ben Smith in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  23. ↑ "Games played by Ben Smith in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  24. ↑ "Games played by Ben Smith in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  25. ↑ "Games played by Ben Smith in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  26. ↑ "Games played by Ben Smith in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  27. 1 2 "Games played by Ben Smith in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  28. ↑ "Games played by Ben Smith in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  29. ↑ "Games played by Ben Smith in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
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