Philip Smith (1885 – 29 September 1918) 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 at

centre-forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than Midfielder, midfielders and Defender (association football), d ...

for Burslem Port Vale,

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...

, Chelsea,

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

, and

Stalybridge Celtic Stalybridge Celtic Football Club is an English football club based in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester. They are currently members of the and play at Bower Fold. The team traditionally plays in a blue and white strip. In 1921, Stalybridge Celti ...

. He was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

during

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 ...

Career

Smith played for Knutton before joining Burslem Port Vale in August 1905. After making his debut in a 3–1 defeat to Lincoln City at Sincil Bank on 2 September, he became a regular in the first-team. He got his first League goal seven days later, in a 4–3 win over Chesterfield at the Athletic Ground. He claimed eight goals in 25 Second Division appearances in the 1905–06 season. However, he was later released, most likely in the summer of 1906. He later played for

, before joining Chelsea for a £250 fee in April 1910. He played one First Division match for the club, a 1–0 defeat at

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...

on 16 April 1910. He left Chelsea in October 1910 and went on to play for

and

Personal life

Smith was the older brother of footballer Joe Smith. He served as a gunner in the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It was created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of the regiment, the ...

during

and was

whilst fighting in the Western Front on 29 September 1918.

Career statistics

*Sourced by

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Philip 1885 births 1918 deaths Footballers from Newcastle-under-Lyme English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Port Vale F.C. players Crewe Alexandra F.C. players Chelsea F.C. players Burnley F.C. players Stalybridge Celtic F.C. players English Football League players Royal Field Artillery soldiers British Army personnel of World War I British military personnel killed in World War I