Frederick Augustus Ford Smith (16 May 1887 – 23 December 1957) was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a full back in the period prior to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Football career

He was born in

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...

and started his career playing in the Manchester League before signing for a fledgling Wigan Town in December 1905. His professional career began in 1906 during which he played League football for

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton ...

and

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...

before giving up playing full-time to concentrate on his job as a motor mechanic in

Macclesfield Macclesfield () is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...

. In May 1913, he was recruited by

Southern Football League The Southern League is a football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from East Anglia, the South and Midlands of England, and South Wales. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven a ...

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

, by when he was at the "''veteran''" stage of his career. He initially played for the reserve team, where he was appointed captain. His "''clean cut, up-standing image''" had a beneficial effect on the youngsters. Following three successive defeats in October 1913, he made his first-team debut in a 2–0 defeat at

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

on 1 November, replacing

Bert Lee William Herbert Lee (11 June 1880 – 23 January 1946) was an English songwriter. He wrote for music hall and the musical stage, often in partnership with R. P. Weston. Life and career Lee was born in Ravensthorpe, Yorkshire, England.Richard ...

at right-back. His "''determination and speed''" enabled him to retain his place for the next ten games, before giving way to

Richard Brooks Richard Brooks (born Reuben Sax; May 18, 1912 – March 11, 1992) was an American screenwriter, film director, novelist and film producer. Nominated for eight Academy Awards in his career, he was best known for ''Blackboard Jungle'' (1955), '' ...

in January. Smith made a further five appearances in the latter part of the season. At the end of the season, he was struggling to retain full fitness and decided to retire to concentrate on his motor career and returned to Macclesfield.

Family

Fred was a brother to William "Buxton" Smith who played for Buxton, Manchester City, and to Lancelot who also played for Wigan Town.10 Worsley Terrace....The Story of Wigan Town
Wigan Observer: 27 December 1905: Page 8, column 3

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Fred 1887 births 1957 deaths English men's footballers Footballers from Buxton Men's association football defenders Wigan Town A.F.C. players Stockport County F.C. players Derby County F.C. players Macclesfield Town F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Southern Football League players English Football League players