Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Alex Smithies
Alexander Smithies (born 5 March 1990) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Smithies is a product of the Huddersfield Town academy who first came into prominence during the 2007–08 season. He joined Queens Park Rangers in 2015 before joining Cardiff City in 2018.
Smithies joined Leicester City in 2022. He made no appearances for the club and retired due to injury in 2024.
Smithies was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. He grew up in Golcar, in the Colne Valley area of Huddersfield. He attended Colne Valley High School, Linthwaite. He grew up supporting Huddersfield Town. Smithies previously played football for Westend Juniors in Huddersfield's local leagues, and he joined the Huddersfield Town academy at the age of 8.
Having come through the Academy of the club he grew up supporting, Smithies made his first-team début on 5 December 2007. He came on as a 76th-minute substitute after Matt Glennon was sent off during Huddersfield Town's 4–1 defeat by Southend United at Roots Hall. His full début came in a 4–0 defeat at Leeds United on 8 December, after Glennon lost an appeal against his dismissal and Town were refused permission to loan an emergency goalkeeper on the grounds that Smithies was registered as a professional.[citation needed]
Smithies' first appearance at the Galpharm Stadium for a first-team match was on 6 December 2008. In this match, caretaker manager Gerry Murphy dropped regular goalkeeper Matt Glennon in favour of Smithies, who went on to help Huddersfield to a 2–1 victory over Walsall. The first clean sheet he kept for the club came on 13 December 2008. In the 1–0 win over Southend United, Smithies saved a penalty from James Walker, ten minutes from time. Smithies became the first-choice keeper for the remainder of the 2008–09 season and, after the arrival of manager Lee Clark, made the number one jersey his own.[citation needed]
Throughout the 2009–10 season, Smithies was the only player to play in each and every league and cup match for Huddersfield. He made 48 starts, 17 of which resulted in a clean sheet for the Terriers. His contribution in helping Huddersfield to a final position inside the League One playoffs was reflected by him winning the club's Young Player of the Year Trophy.
In conceding just 56 goals in such a competitive campaign, he won both praise and admiration from many quarters; earning the Football League's Young Player of the Month award in February 2010 along the way. On 17 November 2009 Smithies was linked with Stoke City after a scout from the club was the latest in a long string of Premier League interest to be seen at the Galpharm. This interest was played down by Lee Clark and Tony Coton, and Smithies insisted he was happy to be at Huddersfield. Smithies was named as the Football League Young Player of the Month for February 2010 after keeping three clean sheets in seven undefeated Huddersfield Town matches.
Hub AI
Alex Smithies AI simulator
(@Alex Smithies_simulator)
Alex Smithies
Alexander Smithies (born 5 March 1990) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Smithies is a product of the Huddersfield Town academy who first came into prominence during the 2007–08 season. He joined Queens Park Rangers in 2015 before joining Cardiff City in 2018.
Smithies joined Leicester City in 2022. He made no appearances for the club and retired due to injury in 2024.
Smithies was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. He grew up in Golcar, in the Colne Valley area of Huddersfield. He attended Colne Valley High School, Linthwaite. He grew up supporting Huddersfield Town. Smithies previously played football for Westend Juniors in Huddersfield's local leagues, and he joined the Huddersfield Town academy at the age of 8.
Having come through the Academy of the club he grew up supporting, Smithies made his first-team début on 5 December 2007. He came on as a 76th-minute substitute after Matt Glennon was sent off during Huddersfield Town's 4–1 defeat by Southend United at Roots Hall. His full début came in a 4–0 defeat at Leeds United on 8 December, after Glennon lost an appeal against his dismissal and Town were refused permission to loan an emergency goalkeeper on the grounds that Smithies was registered as a professional.[citation needed]
Smithies' first appearance at the Galpharm Stadium for a first-team match was on 6 December 2008. In this match, caretaker manager Gerry Murphy dropped regular goalkeeper Matt Glennon in favour of Smithies, who went on to help Huddersfield to a 2–1 victory over Walsall. The first clean sheet he kept for the club came on 13 December 2008. In the 1–0 win over Southend United, Smithies saved a penalty from James Walker, ten minutes from time. Smithies became the first-choice keeper for the remainder of the 2008–09 season and, after the arrival of manager Lee Clark, made the number one jersey his own.[citation needed]
Throughout the 2009–10 season, Smithies was the only player to play in each and every league and cup match for Huddersfield. He made 48 starts, 17 of which resulted in a clean sheet for the Terriers. His contribution in helping Huddersfield to a final position inside the League One playoffs was reflected by him winning the club's Young Player of the Year Trophy.
In conceding just 56 goals in such a competitive campaign, he won both praise and admiration from many quarters; earning the Football League's Young Player of the Month award in February 2010 along the way. On 17 November 2009 Smithies was linked with Stoke City after a scout from the club was the latest in a long string of Premier League interest to be seen at the Galpharm. This interest was played down by Lee Clark and Tony Coton, and Smithies insisted he was happy to be at Huddersfield. Smithies was named as the Football League Young Player of the Month for February 2010 after keeping three clean sheets in seven undefeated Huddersfield Town matches.