Sep Smith
Encyclopedia
Septimus 'Sep' Smith was an English
footballer
who played as a creative wing half
and originally as an inside forward
. Born in Whitburn
, County Durham
in 1912, he was the seventh son born in his family, hence the name Septimus.
He is often considered the best all round player in Leicester City's history and is also the club's longest serving player of all-time having been a player at the club for 19 years and 246 days, as well as captaining the club for 13 years (making him by far the club's longest serving captain).
Smith spent his entire career at Leicester, starting in 1929 and ending in 1949. He made 373 competitive appearances for the Foxes, scoring 37 goals. However, he lost seven seasons of his career because of World War II
, during which time he made a further 213 appearances and scored 48 goals during regionalised wartime football. Including these wartime appearances, his tally of 586 appearances makes him Leicester's second top appearance maker of all-time behind Graham Cross
.
Smith mentored former Leeds United and England manager Don Revie
during his time at Leicester. Revie, who dedicated an entire chapter in his autobiography entitled "What I Owe to Sep Smith" claimed "I'm proud now to think of how much time Sep spent passing on his Soccer [sic] knowledge to me. He played a big part in my shaping my career." He also referred to Smith as "an extraordinary footballer," saying "he could place the ball within an inch of a man's toe - [and] that when he lobbed the ball to his winger the opposing full back felt the ball graze his hair as he tried to strain his neck that extra inch, like a drowning man trying to lift his head out of the water."
He was the guest of honour at the Leicester's final game at Filbert Street
(the club's home for over 110 years) in April 2002 and a suite at Leicester's current home ground The King Power Stadium is named after him in recognition of his service to the club.
and Joe, were both already playing for Leicester. Tom was a regular in the first-team before moving to Manchester United
and Joe was a reserve player who later joined Watford
He made his debut against Huddersfield Town
on 31 August 1929 coming in for Arthur Lochhead
who had been suffering from illness, but after a disappointing performance in which the local press described him as being "unable to pull his weight" he played no further part in that season. However as he began to grow he began to show his poachers instinct, top scoring for the reserves the following season and earning himself a recall to the first team. In 1931-32 he scored 11 times in 22 matches though still as he began to cement his place in the first team.
However, it wasn't until 1932-33, when Smith began to truly blossom after was moved from his role of inside forward and shifted into a deeper role at right half, the position he would make his own for the club for the next 17 years. He helped Leicester to their first ever FA Cup
semi-final in 1934 in which came up against two other of his older brothers, Jack and Bill, who were both playing for Leicester's opponents Portsmouth
.
He was made club captain two years later in 1936 and won his only honour with the club the following year, winning the Second Division
title in 1936-37
.
During his time at Leicester, Smith was known to take many young up and coming players under his wing and tutor them, the most notable of these was Don Revie
, Smith said of Revie "I could see he had potential when he came down for a trial and I used to coach him lots with the ball. I'd say come on with me, and we'd go into a corner and I'd teach him things. He was an eager young player but I used to make him cry when I told him he did things wrong. He told me he would go home after the match and start to cry. I was pushing him because I believed in him. When he used to cry, I told him he should do things right. But he could cross a ball and kick a ball the right way. I would teach him the way to go … to pass the ball in front of the player so he could run on to it. And I would teach him how to trap it.
In his biography of Don Revie: Portrait of a Footballing Enigma author Andrew Mourant states Smith's influence on Revie: "He drummed into the young, receptive Revie four principles: when not in position, get into position; never beat a man by dribbling if you can beat him more easily with a pass; it is not the man on the ball but the one running into position to take the pass who constitutes the danger; and the aim is to have a man spare in a passing move. Soccer would then become easy."
During his final season with the club Leicester reached the 1949 FA Cup final
in which Revie missed out on through illness. He was many fans' choice to replace Revie for the final, but this would mean a tactical shift and the moving of star striker Jack Lee
to facilitate Smith's inclusion so never happened. He helped aid Johnny Duncan
's tactical preparations instead.
Smith would end his career on the final fixture of the 1948-49 season
, in which Leicester staved off relegation to the Third Division with a dramatic 1-1 draw with Cardiff City
(there are still suggestions that the game may have been fixed). Smith retired from the game at the age of 37 after 20 years in the Leicester team. He stayed on as a coach at Leicester, however after Johnny Duncan resigned a few weeks later, Smith's ties with the club were cruelly severed under Duncan's replacement Norman Bullock
against Ireland
in Belfast
in 1935. In the same year, he played in the Jubilee International against Scotland
and also for the Football League
against the Scottish Football League
.
game with Burnley
the Tuesday after his death. At the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving former England international, and the last surviving pre-World War II
international.
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...
footballer
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...
who played as a creative wing half
Wing half
In association football, the position of wing half or wing half back) was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries...
and originally as an inside forward
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
. Born in Whitburn
Whitburn, South Tyneside
Whitburn is a village in South Tyneside, on the coast of North East England. It lies just to the north of the City of Sunderland in the ceremonial county of Tyne and Wear. Until 1974, when the Local Government Act 1972 came into being, it was part of County Durham...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
in 1912, he was the seventh son born in his family, hence the name Septimus.
He is often considered the best all round player in Leicester City's history and is also the club's longest serving player of all-time having been a player at the club for 19 years and 246 days, as well as captaining the club for 13 years (making him by far the club's longest serving captain).
Smith spent his entire career at Leicester, starting in 1929 and ending in 1949. He made 373 competitive appearances for the Foxes, scoring 37 goals. However, he lost seven seasons of his career because of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, during which time he made a further 213 appearances and scored 48 goals during regionalised wartime football. Including these wartime appearances, his tally of 586 appearances makes him Leicester's second top appearance maker of all-time behind Graham Cross
Graham Cross
Graham Frederick Cross is a former professional footballer and cricketer. He is the record appearance holder for Leicester City, making 599 appearances for the club in all competitions....
.
Smith mentored former Leeds United and England manager Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
during his time at Leicester. Revie, who dedicated an entire chapter in his autobiography entitled "What I Owe to Sep Smith" claimed "I'm proud now to think of how much time Sep spent passing on his Soccer [sic] knowledge to me. He played a big part in my shaping my career." He also referred to Smith as "an extraordinary footballer," saying "he could place the ball within an inch of a man's toe - [and] that when he lobbed the ball to his winger the opposing full back felt the ball graze his hair as he tried to strain his neck that extra inch, like a drowning man trying to lift his head out of the water."
He was the guest of honour at the Leicester's final game at Filbert Street
Filbert Street
Filbert Street, in Leicester, England, was a football stadium, and the home of Leicester City from 1891 to 2002. Although officially titled "The City Business Stadium" in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by its address, like many English football stadia.- Early years :The club,...
(the club's home for over 110 years) in April 2002 and a suite at Leicester's current home ground The King Power Stadium is named after him in recognition of his service to the club.
Career
Smith was snapped up for Leicester in 1929 by Willie Orr as an inside-forward at the age of 16. where two of his older brothers, ThomasTom Smith (footballer born 1900)
Thomas Gable "Tom" Smith was an English footballer. His regular position was as a centre forward. He was born in Whitburn. He played for Marsden Villa, Whitburn, South Shields, Leicester City, Manchester United, Northampton Town and Norwich City. His younger brother was fellow player Sep...
and Joe, were both already playing for Leicester. Tom was a regular in the first-team before moving to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and Joe was a reserve player who later joined Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
He made his debut against Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
on 31 August 1929 coming in for Arthur Lochhead
Arthur Lochhead
Arthur Lochhead was a Scottish football player. He played as a forward.Lochhead started his career with Heart of Midlothian before transferring to Manchester United in a swap deal in 1921, with Hearts exchanging him for £530 and Tom Miller...
who had been suffering from illness, but after a disappointing performance in which the local press described him as being "unable to pull his weight" he played no further part in that season. However as he began to grow he began to show his poachers instinct, top scoring for the reserves the following season and earning himself a recall to the first team. In 1931-32 he scored 11 times in 22 matches though still as he began to cement his place in the first team.
However, it wasn't until 1932-33, when Smith began to truly blossom after was moved from his role of inside forward and shifted into a deeper role at right half, the position he would make his own for the club for the next 17 years. He helped Leicester to their first ever FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-final in 1934 in which came up against two other of his older brothers, Jack and Bill, who were both playing for Leicester's opponents Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
.
He was made club captain two years later in 1936 and won his only honour with the club the following year, winning the Second Division
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...
title in 1936-37
1936-37 in English football
The 1936–37 season was the 62nd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
.
During his time at Leicester, Smith was known to take many young up and coming players under his wing and tutor them, the most notable of these was Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
, Smith said of Revie "I could see he had potential when he came down for a trial and I used to coach him lots with the ball. I'd say come on with me, and we'd go into a corner and I'd teach him things. He was an eager young player but I used to make him cry when I told him he did things wrong. He told me he would go home after the match and start to cry. I was pushing him because I believed in him. When he used to cry, I told him he should do things right. But he could cross a ball and kick a ball the right way. I would teach him the way to go … to pass the ball in front of the player so he could run on to it. And I would teach him how to trap it.
In his biography of Don Revie: Portrait of a Footballing Enigma author Andrew Mourant states Smith's influence on Revie: "He drummed into the young, receptive Revie four principles: when not in position, get into position; never beat a man by dribbling if you can beat him more easily with a pass; it is not the man on the ball but the one running into position to take the pass who constitutes the danger; and the aim is to have a man spare in a passing move. Soccer would then become easy."
During his final season with the club Leicester reached the 1949 FA Cup final
1949 FA Cup Final
The 1949 FA Cup Final was contested by Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium. Wolves finished 6th in the First Division during that season, and boasted several England internationals among their ranks, while Leicester City had struggled to avoid relegation in the Second...
in which Revie missed out on through illness. He was many fans' choice to replace Revie for the final, but this would mean a tactical shift and the moving of star striker Jack Lee
Jack Lee
Jack Lee is an American songwriter and musician best known for composing the song, "Hanging on the Telephone."-Biography:...
to facilitate Smith's inclusion so never happened. He helped aid Johnny Duncan
Johnny Duncan (footballer)
John 'Johnny' Duncan was a Scottish football player and manager, who is most notable for his time at Leicester City.He captained the club to its greatest ever league finishes of 3rd and 2nd place in the First Division in 1927-28 and 1928-29 respectively...
's tactical preparations instead.
Smith would end his career on the final fixture of the 1948-49 season
1948-49 in English football
The 1948–49 season was the 69th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Portsmouth won the First Division title for the first time with a team of no recognised stars and very few international players. They won the league by five points from Manchester United and Derby...
, in which Leicester staved off relegation to the Third Division with a dramatic 1-1 draw with Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
(there are still suggestions that the game may have been fixed). Smith retired from the game at the age of 37 after 20 years in the Leicester team. He stayed on as a coach at Leicester, however after Johnny Duncan resigned a few weeks later, Smith's ties with the club were cruelly severed under Duncan's replacement Norman Bullock
Norman Bullock
Norman Bullock was the manager of Leicester City from 1949 to 1955. He also managed Bury for two four-year spells.He was born in Monton, Eccles, Lancashire....
International Career
Despite being called up to the national squad on several occasions, Smith played only once for EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
against Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
in 1935. In the same year, he played in the Jubilee International against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
and also for the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
against the Scottish Football League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
.
Death
Smith died on July 28, 2006 at the age of 94. A minute's silence held in his honour at Leicester's ChampionshipFootball League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
game with Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
the Tuesday after his death. At the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving former England international, and the last surviving pre-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
international.
Career statistics
| Season | Club | Division | League | FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... |
Wartime | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| 1929–30 | Leicester City Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester... |
First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1930–31 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | ||
| 1931–32 | 22 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 11 | ||
| 1932–33 | 37 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 5 | ||
| 1933–34 | 39 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 1 | ||
| 1934–35 | 38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 2 | ||
| 1935–36 | Second Division 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... |
36 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 1936–37 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 1 | ||
| 1937–38 | First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... |
30 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 5 | |
| 1938–39 | 24 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 5 | ||
| 1939–40 | Midlands Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 9 | 32 | 9 | |
| 1940–41 | South Regional League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1941–42 | Football League Southern Section | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 6 | 32 | 6 | |
| 1942–43 | Football League North | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 9 | 37 | 9 | |
| 1943–44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 6 | 35 | 6 | ||
| 1944–45 | Football League South | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 12 | 37 | 12 | |
| 1945–46 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 6 | 41 | 6 | ||
| 1946–47 | Second Division 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... |
35 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 3 | |
| 1947–48 | 34 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 1 | ||
| 1948–49 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||
| Total (excluding wartime competitions) | 350 | 35 | 23 | 2 | - | - | 373 | 37 | ||
| Total (including wartime competitions) | 350 | 35 | 23 | 2 | 213 | 48 | 586 | 85 | ||
Honours
Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
- Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 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...
champion: 1936-371936-37 in English footballThe 1936–37 season was the 62nd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...