Phil Smith (footballer born 1979)
Encyclopedia
Phil Anthony Smith is an English
professional footballer for Swindon Town
. Smith is a goalkeeper and wears shirt No.26. Smith is currently the longest serving player in the Swindon Town
squad, having served the club since 2006.
Smith started his career with Millwall
before being released and falling into non-league football, initially with Folkestone Invicta
. This was followed by spells at Dover Athletic
and Margate
. Smith went on to play for Crawley Town
where he was regular first choice goalkeeper for the Red Devils.
Crawley
went into administration in 2006 and subsequently made all of their players available for transfer. Smith signed for Swindon after a successful pre-season trial which included winning the Copa Ibiza friendly competition in the Summer of 2006. Smith move to Swindon was partly helped by then Swindon manager Dennis Wise
knowing Smith from his spell at Millwall when Wise was first team manager.
and handed the No.25 shirt for the 2006/2007 season. After Brezovan suffered a broken arm in a home game against Grimsby Town
on October 14, 2006, Smith took over in goal after an unsuccessful two game loan spell from Andrew Lonergan
, of Preston North End
.
Smith picked up the PFA Fans Player of the Month for December 2006. This award was presented to him on January 27, 2007, before the home game against Macclesfield Town
, after a string of solid displays kept Swindon in the automatic promotion places. Smith was also rewarded for his efforts, with a two year contract extension. His consistent displays between the sticks during the 2006-2007 promotion winning season did not go unnoticed by the fans, who named him Swindon's 'Fans Player of the Season' in May 2007.
Smith was made official No.1 in the summer of 2007, where he continued to impress then manager Paul Sturrock
. He performed well in the opening match of the 2007/2008 season away to Northampton Town
, where Swindon drew 1–1. He continued his outstanding performances, remaining first choice, keeping his first clean sheet of the season in the 5–0 thrashing of Gillingham
at The County Ground. The arrival of Maurice Malpas
as manager midway through the season saw the first choice goalkeeping position up for grabs, with neither Smith or other Swindon goalkeeper Peter Brezovan able to hold down the position on a regular basis.
Smith played 25 games in the 2008/2009 season, in which Swindon were involved in a relegation battle for much of the campaign. During the pre-season of 2009/2010 season, new Swindon manager Danny Wilson brought in experienced goalkeeper David Lucas
and handed him the No.1 shirt. Smith was handed the No.12 shirt. Smith did not feature on a regular basis, but when called upon, put in some good displays, including an outstanding game against Exeter City on October 6, 2009 in the JPT and a man of the match display in the League One Playoff Semi-Final Second Leg against Charlton Athletic F.C.
after David Lucas was forced off with injury after just 2 minutes. Swindon won the tie after a penalty shoot-out victory.
On 25 February 2010, Smith agreed a new contract extension with the club until the summer of 2012. Smith again began the 2010/2011 season as back up to David Lucas. However, injuries and loss of form from Lucas meant Smith made 27 appearances during the season. The season ultimately lead to a 24th place finish and relegation to League Two.
Smith is currently first choice keeper at Swindon in the 2011/2012 season, after the arrival of Paulo Di Canio as new manager, despite the signing of goalkeeper Mattia Lanzano
. Smith has developed a good rapport with the majority of Swindon fans, who now sing 'Phil Smith's Barmy Army'.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional footballer for Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
. Smith is a goalkeeper and wears shirt No.26. Smith is currently the longest serving player in the Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
squad, having served the club since 2006.
Smith started his career with Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
before being released and falling into non-league football, initially with Folkestone Invicta
Folkestone Invicta F.C.
Folkestone Invicta F.C. are a football club based in the town of Folkestone, Kent, England. They play their home matches at Cheriton Road, currently known under the terms of a sponsorship deal as the Buzzlines Stadium, and currently compete in the Isthmian League Division One South.-Kent County...
. This was followed by spells at Dover Athletic
Dover Athletic F.C.
Dover Athletic Football Club is an association football team based in the town of Dover, Kent, England. The club was formed in 1983 after the dissolution of the town's previous club, Dover, whose place in the Southern League was taken by the new club...
and Margate
Margate F.C.
Margate Football Club is an English football team based in the seaside resort of Margate, Kent, currently playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was known for a number of years during the 1980s as Thanet United....
. Smith went on to play for Crawley Town
Crawley Town F.C.
Crawley Town Football Club is an English football club based in Crawley, West Sussex. They won the title of the Football Conference, by a record 15 point margin on second place, and with it promotion to The Football League, in April 2011.-1896–2009:...
where he was regular first choice goalkeeper for the Red Devils.
Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
went into administration in 2006 and subsequently made all of their players available for transfer. Smith signed for Swindon after a successful pre-season trial which included winning the Copa Ibiza friendly competition in the Summer of 2006. Smith move to Swindon was partly helped by then Swindon manager Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
knowing Smith from his spell at Millwall when Wise was first team manager.
First Team at Swindon Town
Smith's was initially signed as backup to first choice goalkeeper Peter BrezovanPeter Brezovan
Peter Brezovan, born 9 December 1979 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia , is a former Slovak under-21 international footballer who currently plays for English team Brighton & Hove Albion....
and handed the No.25 shirt for the 2006/2007 season. After Brezovan suffered a broken arm in a home game against Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
on October 14, 2006, Smith took over in goal after an unsuccessful two game loan spell from Andrew Lonergan
Andrew Lonergan
Andrew Michael "Andy" Lonergan is an English football goalkeeper currently playing for Leeds United. He is a former England U21 international and is also eligible to play for Republic of Ireland...
, of Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
.
Smith picked up the PFA Fans Player of the Month for December 2006. This award was presented to him on January 27, 2007, before the home game against Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town F.C.
Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
, after a string of solid displays kept Swindon in the automatic promotion places. Smith was also rewarded for his efforts, with a two year contract extension. His consistent displays between the sticks during the 2006-2007 promotion winning season did not go unnoticed by the fans, who named him Swindon's 'Fans Player of the Season' in May 2007.
Smith was made official No.1 in the summer of 2007, where he continued to impress then manager Paul Sturrock
Paul Sturrock
Paul Whitehead Sturrock is a Scottish football manager who, since July 2010, is the manager of Southend United. Until this appointment, Sturrock had most recently been at English League 1 club Plymouth Argyle in a business support role, having been relieved of his managerial duties, until he quit...
. He performed well in the opening match of the 2007/2008 season away to Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
, where Swindon drew 1–1. He continued his outstanding performances, remaining first choice, keeping his first clean sheet of the season in the 5–0 thrashing of Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
at The County Ground. The arrival of Maurice Malpas
Maurice Malpas
Maurice Daniel Robert Malpas is an ex-footballer and the assistant manager at Inverness Caledonian Thistle having joined the club on 27 January 2009 along with their new manager Terry Butcher...
as manager midway through the season saw the first choice goalkeeping position up for grabs, with neither Smith or other Swindon goalkeeper Peter Brezovan able to hold down the position on a regular basis.
Smith played 25 games in the 2008/2009 season, in which Swindon were involved in a relegation battle for much of the campaign. During the pre-season of 2009/2010 season, new Swindon manager Danny Wilson brought in experienced goalkeeper David Lucas
David Lucas (footballer)
David Anthony Lucas is an English footballer who plays for Rochdale as a player/coach.-Preston North End:As a young goalkeeper, Lucas started his career at Preston North End. He went on to spend nearly ten years as a professional at the Lancashire club, punctuated by loan appearances for...
and handed him the No.1 shirt. Smith was handed the No.12 shirt. Smith did not feature on a regular basis, but when called upon, put in some good displays, including an outstanding game against Exeter City on October 6, 2009 in the JPT and a man of the match display in the League One Playoff Semi-Final Second Leg against Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
after David Lucas was forced off with injury after just 2 minutes. Swindon won the tie after a penalty shoot-out victory.
On 25 February 2010, Smith agreed a new contract extension with the club until the summer of 2012. Smith again began the 2010/2011 season as back up to David Lucas. However, injuries and loss of form from Lucas meant Smith made 27 appearances during the season. The season ultimately lead to a 24th place finish and relegation to League Two.
Smith is currently first choice keeper at Swindon in the 2011/2012 season, after the arrival of Paulo Di Canio as new manager, despite the signing of goalkeeper Mattia Lanzano
Mattia Lanzano
Mattia Lanzano is a Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper.-Career in Italy:Lanzano began his professional career with Piacenza but failed to make an appearance for the Biancorossi during his career with the Serie B side...
. Smith has developed a good rapport with the majority of Swindon fans, who now sing 'Phil Smith's Barmy Army'.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FL Trophy | Others | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Millwall Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the... |
1997-98 1997-98 in English football The 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Millwall Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the... |
1998-99 1998-99 in English football -Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker... |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Bromley Bromley F.C. Bromley Football Club are an English football club based in Bromley, in Greater London, England. They currently play in the Conference South, and play their home matches at Hayes Lane.-Early years:... (Loan) |
1998 1998-99 in English football -Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker... |
? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Millwall Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the... |
1999-00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ashford Town Ashford Town F.C. Ashford Town F.C. are an English football club based in Ashford, Surrey. The club are currently members of Division One Central of the Southern League and play at Short Lane... (Loan) |
1999-00 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Millwall Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the... |
2000-01 2000-01 in English football The 2000–01 season was the 121st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Manchester United secured their 3rd Premiership title in succession and their 7th title in just nine seasons... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Folkestone Invicta | 2001 2001-02 in English football The 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dover Athletic Dover Athletic F.C. Dover Athletic Football Club is an association football team based in the town of Dover, Kent, England. The club was formed in 1983 after the dissolution of the town's previous club, Dover, whose place in the Southern League was taken by the new club... |
2001-02 2001-02 in English football The 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the... |
12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Margate Margate F.C. Margate Football Club is an English football team based in the seaside resort of Margate, Kent, currently playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was known for a number of years during the 1980s as Thanet United.... |
2002-03 2002-03 in English football The 2002-03 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in England.-Most Memorable rise:*Wigan Athletic marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.-Most Memorable... |
22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Margate Margate F.C. Margate Football Club is an English football team based in the seaside resort of Margate, Kent, currently playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was known for a number of years during the 1980s as Thanet United.... |
2003-04 2003-04 in English football The 2003-04 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Arsenal completed the entire campaign without losing a single league game.... |
35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| Crawley Town Crawley Town F.C. Crawley Town Football Club is an English football club based in Crawley, West Sussex. They won the title of the Football Conference, by a record 15 point margin on second place, and with it promotion to The Football League, in April 2011.-1896–2009:... |
2004-05 2004-05 in English football The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League... |
35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| Crawley Town Crawley Town F.C. Crawley Town Football Club is an English football club based in Crawley, West Sussex. They won the title of the Football Conference, by a record 15 point margin on second place, and with it promotion to The Football League, in April 2011.-1896–2009:... |
2005-06 2005-06 in English football The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether... |
38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
2006-07 2006-07 in English football The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five... |
31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
2007-08 2007-08 in English football The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool... |
15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
2008-09 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
2010-11 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
2011-12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 251 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 270 | 0 | |