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Joseph Smith (25 June 1889 – 11 August 1971) was an English professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player and manager. He is eleventh on the list of England's top-flight goal scorers, scoring 243 league goals. He was manager of
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
for 23 years and guided them to victory in the 1953 FA Cup final, the only time they have won the competition since their 1887 inception. A forward, he began his career at Crewe Alexandra but did not play a first-team game for the club. He instead made his name at
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
, where with 277 league and cup goals between 1908 and 1927, he is the club's second highest goalscorer, only eight behind Nat Lofthouse. He won the Second Division title with Bolton 1908–09, and played in FA Cup final victories in 1923 and
1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...
. He later hit 61 goals in 70 league games for Stockport County, before being appointed player-manager at Darwen in 1929. Two years later, he was appointed manager of
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 ...
and narrowly missed out on promotion during his four seasons in charge. He became Blackpool manager in August 1935 and remained in this position until April 1958. He led the "Seasiders" to one victory in three FA Cup final appearances (
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
,
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...
, and 1953), and also led the club to runners-up spot in the Second Division in 1936–37, second place in the First Division in 1955–56, and runners-up in the 1953 FA Charity Shield.


Early and personal life

Joseph Smith was born in 1889, with the birth registered in
Dudley Dudley ( , ) is a market town in the West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically part of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. In the ...
, and the family moved to
Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...
when he was three months old. His father, also named Joseph, was an iron puddler, and his mother was named Rosina. He was the youngest of three sons, and one brother,
Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...
, played professional football and was killed during the
First World War 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 ...
. He married Priscilla (Cissie) Bond on 7 June 1921, at
Manchester Cathedral Manchester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George, in Manchester, England, is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Manchester, seat of the Bishop of Manchester and the c ...
.


Club career


Bolton Wanderers

Smith began his junior career at the age of 15 with Newcastle Parish Schools Association in the North Staffordshire Sunday School League. Both Stoke and Crewe Alexandra showed an interest in him, before he signed with
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
for a £10 transfer fee in 1908. Wanderers won the Second Division title in 1908–09, but were immediately relegated out of the First Division in 1909–10. They regained their top-flight status after securing a second-place finish in the Second Division in 1910–11. Smith then became the club's top-scorer in 1911–12 with 24 goals, as Bolton posted a fourth-place finish, six points behind champions Blackburn Rovers. He scored 22 goals in 1912–13, as Bolton dropped to eighth position. George Lillycrop then became the club's leading scorer in 1913–14, before Smith finished as the club's top-scorer for the third time in four seasons with 36 goals in 1914–15. During the First World War he guested for Chelsea and Port Vale. After the war, Bolton finished sixth in 1919–20. With the help of "Trotters" teammate Ted Vizard, during the 1920–21 season Smith scored a club record 38 goals, which put him top of the First Division goalscoring chart for that season; the club recorded a third-place finish. However, Bolton dropped to sixth position again in 1921–22. Smith recorded 19 goals in 1922–23 to become the club's top-scorer for the fifth time. His goals helped Bolton to reach the 1923 FA Cup final – the first
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
final to be held at Wembley. Smith
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
ed Bolton to a 2–0 victory over West Ham United. David Jack then took the mantle as the club's main source of goals in 1923–24 and 1924–25, as Bolton posted two top-four finishes in succession. Smith scored 21 goals in 1925–26 to finish as the club's top-scorer for the sixth and final time. He also captained the club to another FA Cup final victory, as a goal from namesake Jack Smith was enough to beat
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
1–0. The 1926–27 season was then his last at the club, as he led Bolton to fourth in the league, eight points behind leaders Newcastle United. In his 19 years with Bolton, Smith scored 277 goals in 492 games (his league record being 254 goals in 449 appearances).


Later career

On 16 March 1927, Smith signed for Stockport County for a fee of £1,000. However, an administration error meant that County were deducted two points and fined £125. He went on to score 61 goals in 70 league games at Edgeley Park. With 38 Third Division North goals in 1927–28, he was the division's top-scorer that season, though the "Hatters" could only manage a third-place finish. County then finished second in 1928–29, just one point behind champions Bradford City. Upon leaving County, Smith joined Manchester Central on 22 June 1929, reuniting with his old Bolton teammate, Frank Roberts. In 1930, aged 41, and without a club for the 1930–31 season, rumours regarding Smith's retirement arose, but they were abated when he signed on for Darwen, also in the Lancashire Combination, on 8 September 1930, being appointed as club captain. Darwen had hoped to have him for another year, but Smith went on to end his career with Hyde United.


International career

The first of Smith's five England caps came on 15 February 1913, in a 2–1 defeat to
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
at
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
's
Windsor Park The National Football Stadium at Windsor Park (officially the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park for sponsorship reasons), or the National Football Stadium, also known as Windsor Park is a association football, football stadium in B ...
in the Home Championship. He then scored the opening goal of a 2–0 win over
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
at Ninian Park on 16 March 1914. He then played England's next three games either side of World War I: a 3–1 defeat to
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
at
Hampden Park Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
(14 April 1914), a 1–1 draw with Ireland at Windsor Park (25 October 1919), and a 2–1 defeat to Wales at Highbury (15 March 1920).


Managerial career


Darwen

In 1929, Smith became
player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...
of Darwen. As a player, he scored 42 goals in 51 games. As manager, he guided them to wins in the Lancashire Combination Championship (twice), the Combination Cup (twice), the Lancashire Junior Cup, and the Lancashire Challenge Trophy.


Reading

Upon hanging up his playing boots in 1931, Smith became manager of
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 ...
. In each of his four seasons at Elm Park, he took the club to within a few places of promotion out of the Third Division South. He led the "Biscuitmen" as they were then known to a second-place finish in 1931–32 – two points behind champions
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
, a fourth-place finish in 1932–33 – 11 points behind leaders
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...
, third in 1933–34 – seven points short of Norwich City, and second in 1934–35 – eight points behind promoted Charlton Athletic. His success was due mostly to his phenomenal home record. In 84 matches at Elm Park, he won 66 and lost only 3, scoring an average of three goals per game and steering the club on a 55-game unbeaten home run that lasted from April 1933 until after he left in 1935.


Blackpool

In August 1935, Smith was approached to become the new manager of
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
, in place of the departed Sandy MacFarlane, an offer he immediately accepted; a love of the seaside being one of the main deciding factors. After a tenth-place finish in 1935–36, he led the club to promotion in 1936–37 with a second-place finish in the Second Division. He then secured the club's First Division status with mid-table finishes in 1937–38 and 1938–39. On 10 March 1939, Smith and club director Albert Hindley made the football headlines when they completed the £10,000 record signing of Jock Dodds from Sheffield United. However,
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
ensured that Smith's big signing barely featured in the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
, though he went on to score well over 200 goals at Bloomfield Road during the war. After the war, Smith built a formidable "M" forward line of Stan Mortensen, Stanley Matthews and Jackie Mudie. Mortensen and Mudie began their professional careers at the club, whilst Smith signed Matthews from Stoke City for an £11,500 fee in May 1947. Other key signings Smith made during his time at the club include: defender Danny Blair (joined from Aston Villa in 1936), George Farrow (defender signed from Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic for £1,250 in 1936),
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
winger Alex Munro (signed from Hearts in March 1937 for £3,500), inside-forward Willie Buchan (signed from Celtic for £10,000), defender Eric Hayward (free signing from Port Vale in May 1937), Eddie Shimwell (signed from Sheffield United for £7,000 in December 1946), full-back Jackie Wright (signed from Mossley), goalkeeper George Farm (joined on a free transfer from Hibernian), midfielder Allan Brown (signed from East Fife in December 1950), forward Ernie Taylor (signed from Newcastle United for £25,000 in October 1951), defender Jimmy Kelly (signed from
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
in October 1954 for £15,000), and striker Ray Charnley (signed from Morecambe for a £750 fee in May 1957). Many significant players also began their professional careers under Smith, including Barrie Martin, Ron Suart, Ewan Fenton, Tommy Garrett, Bill Perry, Dave Durie, Roy Gratrix, Brian Peterson, Hughie Kelly, and Jimmy Armfield. Though he was at Bloomfield Road before Smith, after the war, defender Harry Johnston went on to win caps for England whilst at Blackpool. Blackpool finished fifth in the league in 1946–47, just seven points behind champions
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. The next season, 1947–48, they reached the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
final at Wembley, which ended in a 4–2 defeat to
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
. The "Seasiders" dropped to 16th place in 1948–49, but rose to seventh in 1949–50, just four points behind champions
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
. Though they finished in third place in 1950–51, they ended the campaign ten points behind champions Tottenham Hotspur. Smith led the club to another FA Cup final in
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...
, where they were beaten 2–0 by Newcastle United after a brace from Jackie Milburn. Blackpool could only finished ninth and seventh in 1951–52 and 1952–53, but reached another FA Cup final in
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...
. Known as the "Matthews final", Stan Mortensen scored a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
against
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
to secure Blackpool a 4–3 victory and their first-ever FA Cup title. The club finished sixth in the league in 1953–54 and then dropped down to 19th place in 1954–55. Smith then led the club to a record high league finish of second in 1955–56. However, they ended up with 11 points short of the champions, Manchester United. They finished fourth in 1956–57 and seventh in 1957–58. After 714 Football League games in charge of Blackpool, Smith resigned in 1958, at 68, due to poor health. The Blackpool board rewarded his services by giving him a hefty "
golden handshake A golden handshake is a clause in an executive employment contract that provides the executive with a significant severance package in the case that the executive loses their job through firing, restructuring, or even scheduled retirement. Thi ...
" and bought him a house in the town.


Career statistics


Playing statistics

Source:


International statistics


Managerial statistics

Source:


Honours


As a player

Bolton Wanderers *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
: 1923,
1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...
*
Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...
: 1908–09 *
Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...
2nd place promotion: 1910–11 Darwen * Lancashire Combination: 1930–31 *Lancashire Combination Cup: 1931 *East Lancashire Charity Shield: 1931 England * British Home Championship: 1912–13


As a manager

Blackpool *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
:
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...
; runner-up:
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
,
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...
*
Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...
2nd place promotion: 1936–37 * FA Charity Shield runner-up:
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...


Death

Smith died in 1971, aged 82.


See also

*
List of men's footballers with 500 or more goals In top-level association football competitions, 25 players have scored 500 or more goals in both Lists of association football clubs, club and List of men's national association football teams, international football, according to research by ...


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Joe 1889 births Footballers from Dudley 1971 deaths English men's footballers England men's international footballers England men's wartime international footballers Men's association football forwards Bolton Wanderers F.C. players Chelsea F.C. wartime guest players Port Vale F.C. wartime guest players Stockport County F.C. players Darwen F.C. (1870) players Manchester Central F.C. players Hyde United F.C. players English Football League players First Division/Premier League top scorers Men's association football player-managers English football managers Reading F.C. managers Blackpool F.C. managers English Football League managers