Smith Cyril Image 1 Charlton Athletic 1921

Description

Knighton, Powys born inside left Cyril Smith had played Army football with The Royal Welsh Fusiliers in 1912 before joining Southern League Aberdare Town in 1913, moving to Croydon Common in the close season of 1914, where he was described as “scarcely the physique of the ideal centre but he is tricky, fast and an excellent shot”. He played 17 Southern League games scoring 5 goals for Croydon and also played Wartime football for them in 1915-16 scoring 3 times in 6 appearances.  Smith fought with the 17th (Service) Battalion of the Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment) otherwise known as The Footballers’ Battalion during the First World War. He was gassed at Delville Wood on the Somme in the summer of 1916 and evacuated to Liverpool. After the War’s end he joined Crystal Palace in 1919 making 7 scoreless appearances for Palace during 1919-20 before moving to Charlton Athletic in the summer of 1920, where he played in Charlton’s first professional match (away at Norwich City Reserves on 28th August 1920) and scored in a 2-1 win. He made his Football League debut for The Latics against former club Aberdare Athletic in October 1921, making 7 appearances during 1921-22 without scoring, before moving to non league Guildford United the following summer, also playing subsequently for Nuneaton Town in 1924.