Dave Smith (footballer, born 1943)
David Bruce Smith (born 14 November 1943) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Bruce Smith | ||
| Date of birth | 14 November 1943 | ||
| Place of birth | Aberdeen, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1961–1966 | Aberdeen | 133 | (8) |
| 1966–1974 | Rangers | 195 | (8) |
| 1974–1975 | Arbroath | 20 | (0) |
| 1975–1976 | Arcadia Shepherds F.C. | ||
| 1976 | Seattle Sounders | 5 | (0) |
| 1976 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 15 | (0) |
| 1976–1980 | Berwick Rangers | 157 | (11) |
| 1980–1981 | Meadowbank Thistle | 11 | (0) |
| 1981 | Hamilton Academical | 6 | (0) |
| 1981–198? | Huntly | ||
| National team | |||
| 1966–1968 | Scotland | 2 | (0) |
| 1966–1970 | Scottish League XI | 4 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1976–1980 | Berwick Rangers | ||
| 1981–198? | Huntly | ||
| 1982–1983 | Peterhead | ||
| – | Gala Fairydean | ||
| – | Whitehill Welfare | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Playing career
Primarily a left sided midfielder, Smith started his playing career for Aberdeen and moved to Rangers in August 1966 for a fee of £50,000. During his time at Ibrox, he made 303 appearances winning the Scottish League Cup in 1971, the Scottish Cup in 1973 and, most notably, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1972. That year, he was voted the Scottish Football Writers' Association's Player of the year.
During his career he collected two Scotland caps, featuring twice in Friendly matches against the Netherlands[2]
Coaching career
Smith left Ibrox in November 1974 for Arbroath, where he took up a player-coach role. He went on to become a player-manager at Berwick Rangers in 1976 and, while there, he transformed the club's fortunes, guiding them to the Scottish Second Division championship in 1979. He left Berwick in 1980 and subsequently managed Huntly, Gala Fairydean and Whitehill Welfare.
Smith spent one close season during his career playing for the Seattle Sounders and the Los Angeles Aztecs in the NASL and is also known to have played in South Africa.
Personal life
Smith had two brothers who were also professional footballers: Doug, who spent his entire career with Dundee United, and Hugh, who played for Forfar Athletic and Morton.[3]
References
- Dave Smith at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database
- David Smith at the Scottish Football Association
- Hannan, Martin (11 December 2012). "Obituary: Doug Smith, footballer and club chairman who had a 44-year association with Dundee United". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
