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Paul Smith (footballer, born 22 January 1976)

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Paul Smith
Personal information
Full name Ian Paul Smith[1]
Date of birth (1976-01-22) 22 January 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth Easington, England
Position(s) Midfielder, defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–2001 Burnley 112 (5)
2000Oldham Athletic (loan) 4 (0)
2001–2003 Hartlepool United 55 (4)
2003–2005 Sheffield Wednesday 27 (2)
2006 Alfreton Town
2006 Kidderminster Harriers 3 (0)
2007–2010 Sheffield
2010–???? Hucknall Town 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:55, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

Ian Paul Smith (born 22 January 1976) is an English footballer who played in the Football League for Burnley, Oldham Athletic, Hartlepool United and Sheffield Wednesday.[2]

Career

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Smith turned professional in July 1992 with Burnley. He was subject of multimillion-pound bids from Arsenal, West Ham United, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Everton and was widely considered to have the best left foot outside the Premier League.[citation needed] Smith joined Hartlepool United on a free transfer in November 2001.[1] He quickly settled in as a first team regular,[3] topping the Division's assists charts (with 37)[citation needed] as Hartlepool reached the Division Three play-offs. He rejoined former Hartlepool manager Chris Turner as he moved to Sheffield Wednesday when his Hartlepool contract expired at the end of the 2002–03 season, after helping the club to promotion.[3][4] He scored a goal on his second substitute appearance[5] and a 20-yard volley on his full debut,[6] but the knee injury which deprived him of the chance to face off against his former team in the play-off final,[7] forced his retirement from professional football.[8] He was released shortly after Wednesday won promotion to the Football League Championship.[9]

In January 2006 he played a few games for Conference North club Alfreton Town,[10] from where he joined Conference National side Kidderminster Harriers in February,[8] but made just three substitute appearances for Harriers before leaving in the summer of 2006.[2] He signed for Sheffield F.C. in the summer of 2007, swept the board of player-of-the-year awards for the 2008–09 season, and left the club in January 2010.[11] He joined Hucknall Town in June 2010.[12]

Personal life

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After finishing his playing career, Smith began a career in human resources and is a workforce planning lead at the Department of Health and Social Care.[13]

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References

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  1. ^ a b Hugman, Barry, ed. (2005). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2005/2006. Queen Anne Press. p. 379. ISBN 978-1-85291-662-6.
  2. ^ a b "Paul Smith". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Paul Smith". In The Mad Crowd. John Phillips. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  4. ^ "Owls Trio Complete Move". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 3 July 2003. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  5. ^ "Games played by Paul Smith in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  6. ^ Tallentire, Mark (8 September 2003). "Round-up". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  7. ^ "Owls Fit For Final". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 27 May 2005. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  8. ^ a b "Yates Turns To Former Team-Mate". Non-League Daily. 1 February 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  9. ^ "Four Offered New Deals". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 31 May 2005. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  10. ^ "Manager Apologises To Fans". Non-League Daily. 12 January 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  11. ^ "Paul Smith – Defender". Sheffield F.C. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  12. ^ http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/sport/Town-sign-Badgers-skipper-in.6371845.jp [dead link]
  13. ^ "Where Are They Now? HARTLEPOOL U 2002-03". The Football League Paper. 5 September 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2023.