Reg Smith (footballer, born 1916)

Reginald George Charles Smith (1916 – unknown) was an English footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Bristol City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tranmere Rovers.

Reg Smith
Personal information
Full name Reginald George Charles Smith[1]
Date of birth 1916[2]
Place of birth Westbury, England[2]
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Westbury United
Trowbridge Town
1935–1937 Bristol City 7 (1)
1937 Colchester United 8 (3)
1937–1938 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 (0)
1938–1939 Tranmere Rovers 1 (0)
Yeovil & Petters United
Total 18 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Born in Westbury, Smith played for local sides Westbury United and Trowbridge Town before being signed by Football League club Bristol City for the 1935–36 season. He made seven league starts and scored once for City before becoming the first signing for newly formed Southern League club Colchester United.[2]

Smith featured in Colchester's inaugural match on 28 August 1937 at Yeovil & Petters United, a game which the U's lost 3–0.[3] He scored the club's first competitive goal and went on to record the club's first hat-trick in a 6–1 thrashing of Bath City at Layer Road in the following game on 2 September.[4] He would record three goals in eight league appearances for Colchester, five goals in five Southern League mid-week section games and two goals in a single Southern League Cup match. His goalscoring ability was spotted by Wolverhampton Wanderers' manager Frank Buckley who signed him in October 1937 for £500, making Smith the first transfer out of Colchester.[2]

With Wolves, Smith featured just twice before joining Tranmere Rovers. Here, he only managed one appearance before joining Yeovil & Petters United.[2]

Personal life

Smith not only played competitive football, but was a good enough tennis player that he entered Wimbledon on three occasions.[2]

References
  1. "Colchester United – Player profile". Coludata.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  2. Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 222. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.
  3. "Colchester United – Match details – Yeovil & Petters United 3–0 Colchester Utd". Coludata.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  4. "Colchester United – Match details – Colchester Utd 6–1 Bath City". Coludata.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
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