Roger Smart
Encyclopedia
Roger Smart is a retired football
Inside Forward
.
He made his way from schoolboy teams to work up through the youth ranks at Swindon Town
before making his début in the reserves in April 1960.
He signed as a professional for the club in May 1960 but did not play first team football until March 1962, he scored his first goal for Swindon in a match with Queens Park Rangers
on September 1.
Smart was relegated to the reserves for much of the 1962-63 season, before being recalled for the final three games of the season. He scored in each of these games and assured Swindon's promotion to Division 2
for the first time in their history.
In 1965 he became the first nominated substitute to be used in a Swindon Town game.
Over the next few seasons, Smart became a first-team regular, moving into a role that allowed fellow striker Don Rogers
to excel. Smart's best form came in 1968/69, when he scored fifteen goals - six of which came in the League Cup
campaign, including the opening goal in the 1969 League Cup Final, when he benefited from a mistake in the Arsenal
defence, before bundling the ball into the net. He created Swindon's second and third goals, both scored by Rogers. He was also a part of the 1970 Anglo-Italian Cup
and Anglo-Italian League Cup
winning sides (photos of the Cup medals to be uploaded at a later date).
In the twilight of his Town career, Smart moved back into a wing-half or midfield position. He left Swindon at the end of the 1972/73 season, and joined Charlton Athletic
on a free transfer.
He returned to the Swindon area a year later, with spells at Bath City
and Trowbridge Town
before retiring. As of 1999 he was landlord of the Plough Inn in Old Town, Swindon.
Roger now lives with his partner Lin, on the southern outskirts of Swindon and is still a keen walker & jogger to this day.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
Inside Forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
.
He made his way from schoolboy teams to work up through the youth ranks at 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...
before making his début in the reserves in April 1960.
He signed as a professional for the club in May 1960 but did not play first team football until March 1962, he scored his first goal for Swindon in a match with Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
on September 1.
Smart was relegated to the reserves for much of the 1962-63 season, before being recalled for the final three games of the season. He scored in each of these games and assured Swindon's promotion to Division 2
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
for the first time in their history.
In 1965 he became the first nominated substitute to be used in a Swindon Town game.
Over the next few seasons, Smart became a first-team regular, moving into a role that allowed fellow striker Don Rogers
Don Rogers (footballer)
Donald Rogers is an English former footballer who has often been seen as the most exciting player to pull on a Swindon Town shirt; his principal rival in this respect being Harold Fleming...
to excel. Smart's best form came in 1968/69, when he scored fifteen goals - six of which came in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
campaign, including the opening goal in the 1969 League Cup Final, when he benefited from a mistake in the Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
defence, before bundling the ball into the net. He created Swindon's second and third goals, both scored by Rogers. He was also a part of the 1970 Anglo-Italian Cup
1970 Anglo-Italian Cup
The 1970 Anglo-Italian Cup was the inaugural Anglo-Italian Cup competition. The European football competition was played between clubs from England and Italy and was founded by Gigi Peronace in 1970, following the success of the Anglo-Italian League Cup. The competition culminated in a final...
and Anglo-Italian League Cup
Anglo-Italian League Cup
The Anglo-Italian League Cup was a short-lived football competition between clubs in England and Italy.-History:...
winning sides (photos of the Cup medals to be uploaded at a later date).
In the twilight of his Town career, Smart moved back into a wing-half or midfield position. He left Swindon at the end of the 1972/73 season, and joined Charlton Athletic
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,...
on a free transfer.
He returned to the Swindon area a year later, with spells at Bath City
Bath City F.C.
Bath City Football Club are a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset. They play in the Conference National league after gaining promotion from the Conference South via the play-offs in May 2010...
and Trowbridge Town
Trowbridge Town F.C.
Trowbridge Town F.C. are a football club based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, and they play at Woodmarsh on the southern edge of the town. They are currently members of the Hellenic Football League Division One West.-History:...
before retiring. As of 1999 he was landlord of the Plough Inn in Old Town, Swindon.
Roger now lives with his partner Lin, on the southern outskirts of Swindon and is still a keen walker & jogger to this day.
External links
- Player Profile - Swindon-Town-FC.co.uk