Smith Jack Image 1 Queen’s Park Rangers 1920

Description

Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire born centre forward Jack Smith began his football career with junior club Wirksworth in 1908, joining hometown ex Football League club Burton United a year later. In 1910 he signed for First Division club Manchester City making his Football League debut at Bristol City that December, scoring in a 2-1 defeat. In two seasons at Hyde Road he scored 7 goals in 20 appearances but joined non league Mansfield Mechanics in 1912, also playing the same year for Chesterfield Town. In 1913 he played for both Rotherham County and Hartlepools United before moving to Scotland to join Scottish League club Third Lanark, returning to Chesterfield Town in 1915.

During the First World War he signed for Southern League Queen’s Park Rangers in November 1917, and after the War resumed peacetime football with them. When they were elected to the new Third Division in the summer of 1920, Smith played in their inaugural League fixture against Watford that August. He top scored for Rangers with 19 goals that season, a total that included a hat-trick against Brighton & Hove Albion in December 1920, and in his two League seasons at Loftus Road scored 30 goals in 79 appearances before a move to Swansea Town in May 1922.

He top scored for Swansea with 21 goals in his first season at The Vetch Field, scoring all three goals in a 3-0 win at Portsmouth in November 1922, netting 35 goals in 72 appearances for The Swans including a further hat-trick against Merthyr Town in November 1923, before joining Brighton & Hove Albion in June 1924. He scored 4 goals in 14 games for The Seagulls before returning to Burton with non league Burton Town in 1925, playing for Burton Wednesday in 1926 before his eventual retirement.