Geoff Smith (footballer, born 1928)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Geoffrey Smith | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| St Anne's Church | |||
| Keighley Central Club | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Nelson | |||
| Rossendale United | |||
| 1952–1959 | Bradford City | 253 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Geoffrey "Geoff" Smith (born 14 March 1928) is a former English professional footballer who played 253 league games for Bradford City as a goalkeeper, including 200 consecutive appearances.
Early life
Smith was born in Cottingley on the outskirts of Bradford, England on 14 March 1928. He had a brother Jack.[1] During his childhood, their family moved to Keighley, where Smith first played football for St Anne's Church. Aged 18, Smith was called up to the army in 1946. He served in an infantry united in Malaya for two years until he returned to Keighley.[2]
Football career
Amateur career
Smith resumed his football career back at home with Keighley Central Club. A goalkeeper, he was still playing for Keighley Central in 1948, when he was offered a trial with his local side Bradford City, who were at the time a Third Division North side. His trial was unsuccesful and he was released.[3] Instead, Smith joined Lancashire Combination League side Nelson.[1][3] He was still living in Keighley, and travelled to Nelson by bus with his brother Jack, who had previously played for Leeds United but had been released when Major Frank Buckley took over as manager. Smith played for Nelson for three years but initially gave up the game when the club could no longer afford to pay him. He was not long out of the game before he signed Rossendale United, a member of the Lancashire Combination's Second Division. Smith said the journey by bus was a difficult one so he bought a motorbike. However, like Nelson, Rossendale could not afford to pay him, and after another two years, Smith gave up the game once again.[1]
Bradford City
In December 1952, new Bradford City manager Ivor Powell invited Smith back to City for another trial. This time, Smith's trial was successful and Bradford City – still a Third Division North side – signed him on amateur forms.[3] He had played only seven games for the reserves in the Midland League and was still unpaid when Smith was given his first-team debut against Scunthorpe United on 17 January 1953 replacing Brendan McManus.[1][3] He remained in the side for the remainder of the season, playing 19 games, before he signed part-time professional terms in July 1953,[3] having previously worked part-time as a lorry driver. He had been earning £4 10s (£4.50) per week as a lorry driver, but the club did not want him driving around the country and offered him £10 per week plus a £4 win bonus. To supplement his playing contract, the club gave Smith a job looking after their Valley Parade ground.[1]
During the mid-season break, McManus left City to join Frickley Athletic. Instead, Powell signed Jimmy Gooch from Preston North End as his replacement. Gooch took over as first-choice goalkeeper at the start of the 1953–54 season playing the first 20 games.[1] Smith was called up to the first-team in November for a 1–1 draw with Hartlepools United.[4] He kept his place in the side and played all but two games during the remainder of the season, coming back into the team for the final league game of the season against Gateshead as City finished fifth.[1][4]
Gooch left City after just one season to join Watford leaving Smith to take over the "number one" shirt.[1] For the next four seasons, Smith played every single first-team game for City which eventually led to him playing 200 consecutive league appearances[3] – it was a run that coincided with one of 246 league and FA Cup games by full back George Mulholland.[1] However, for three seasons, City could not match the fifth place gained in 1953–54 and they remained a Third Division North side.[5] In 1957–58, City came third place but missed out on the title by nine points to Scunthorpe United.[6] During the season, Smith set a new club record of 18 clean sheets, one which was later equalled by Steve Smith and Eric McManus.[3]
The following season, Smith's run of consecutive games came to an end against Reading in October 1958.[3] His number of consecutive appearances is third on the club's list behind Mulholland's 231 games and Charlie Bicknell.[7] He played 26 further games in the 1958–59 season, which proved to be his final season for City,[3] as the club finished 11th in the newy-formed Third Division.[8] When the season finished, he had played a total of 270 games for the club, 253 of which came in the league,[3] keeping a club record 70 clean sheets.[1][7] His record stood until it was broken by Paul Tomlinson in the 1990s.[9]
Personal life
Smith met his wife Margaret at a ceilidh at St Anne's Social Club, in Keighley, in 1944, when they were both teenagers. They married after Smith returned from his two years in the army on 26 August 1950 at Holy Trinity Church, in Keighley. Together, they had two daughters.[2] Smith had been a motor mechanic before his football career, and after he retired from playing, he and his wife ran an off-licence store in Cross Roads for 25 years and a newsagents in Keighley for another five years.[2]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Nelson | |||||||
| Rossendale United | |||||||
| Bradford City | 1952–53 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| 1953–54 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| 1954–55 | 46 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 51 | 0 | |
| 1955–56 | 46 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 0 | |
| 1956–57 | 46 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 0 | |
| 1957–58 | 46 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 50 | 0 | |
| 1958–59 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| Total | 253 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 270 | 0 | |
| Career totals | 253 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 270 | 0 | |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Markham, David (2007). The legends of Bradford City. Breedon Books Sport. pp. 174–175. ISBN 978-1-85983-572-2. Cite error: The named reference "markham" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b c Rahman, Miran (2010-08-26). "Keeper's catch has lasted for 60 years". Keighley News. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j Frost, Terry (1988). Bradford City A Complete Record 1903–1988. Breedon Books Sport. p. 139. ISBN 0907969380.
- ^ a b Frost. Bradford City A Complete Record 1903–1988. pp. 248–249.
- ^ Frost. Bradford City A Complete Record 1903–1988. pp. 250–257.
- ^ Butler, Bryon (1987). The Football League 1988–1988 The Official Illustrated History. Macdonald Queen Anne Press. p. 11. ISBN 0-356-15072-0.
- ^ a b Frost. Bradford City A Complete Record 1903–1988. p. 377.
- ^ Frost. Bradford City A Complete Record 1903–1988. pp. 258–259.
- ^ "Ivor Powell – Manager 1952–1955". Bradford City official website. Retrieved 2008-01-05.