Allan Smart

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Allan Smart

| image =

| fullname = Allan Andrew Colin Smart

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1974|7|8|df=y}}

| birth_place = Perth, Scotland

| height = {{height|ft=6|in=2}}

| death_date =

| currentclub =

| position = Striker

| years1 = 1993–1994 | clubs1 = Caledonian | caps1 = | goals1 =

| years2 = 1994 | clubs2 = Caledonian Thistle | caps2 = 4 | goals2 = 0

| years3 = 1994–1996 | clubs3 = Preston North End | caps3 = 21 | goals3 = 6

| years4 = 1995 | clubs4 = → Carlisle United (loan) | caps4 = 4 | goals4 = 0

| years5 = 1996 | clubs5 = → Northampton Town (loan) | caps5 = 1 | goals5 = 0

| years6 = 1996–1998 | clubs6 = Carlisle United | caps6 = 45 | goals6 = 16

| years7 = 1998–2001 | clubs7 = Watford | caps7 = 56 | goals7 = 12

| years8 = 2001 | clubs8 = → Hibernian (loan) | caps8 = 5 | goals8 = 1

| years9 = 2001 | clubs9 = → Stoke City (loan) | caps9 = 2 | goals9 = 0

| years10 = 2001–2002 | clubs10 = Oldham Athletic | caps10 = 21 | goals10 = 6

| years11 = 2002–2003 | clubs11 = Dundee United | caps11 = 17 | goals11 = 0

| years12 = 2003–2004 | clubs12 = Crewe Alexandra | caps12 = 6 | goals12 = 0

| years13 = 2004–2005 | clubs13 = Milton Keynes Dons | caps13 = 18 | goals13 = 4

| years14 = 2005–2006 | clubs14 = Bury | caps14 = 13 | goals14 = 1

| years15 = 2006–2007 | clubs15 = Portadown | caps15 = 20 | goals15 = 5

| years16 = 2007–2008 | clubs16 = Burscough | caps16 = | goals16 =

| years17 = 2009 | clubs17 = Southport | caps17 = | goals17 =

| totalcaps = 229 | totalgoals = 51

| manageryears1 = 2014–2015 | managerclubs1 = Daventry Town

}}

Allan Andrew Colin Smart (born 8 July 1974) is a Scottish football manager and former player who most recently managed Southern Football League club Daventry Town, where he also briefly served as club chairman.{{cite web |url=http://www.dtfc.co.uk/news/iain-humphrey-has-resigned-as-dtfc-chairman-1447946.html |title=Iain Humphrey has resigned as DTFC Chairman – News – Daventry Town Football Club |access-date=2015-06-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626104845/http://www.dtfc.co.uk/news/iain-humphrey-has-resigned-as-dtfc-chairman-1447946.html |archive-date=26 June 2015 }}

In a 16-year playing career, Smart appeared as a striker for Caledonian, Caledonian Thistle, Preston North End, Carlisle United, Northampton Town, Watford, Hibernian, Stoke City, Oldham Athletic, Dundee United, Crewe Alexandra, Milton Keynes Dons, Bury, Portadown, Burscough and Southport.

Career

Smart began his career with junior club Balbeggie and had spells with St Johnstone and Brechin City, but without appearing for either's first team. In 1993, he joined Highland League club Inverness Caledonian; the following year Smart made his Scottish League debut following the merger which created Inverness Caledonian Thistle with entry into the Scottish League Third Division, but was soon sold to Preston North End for a fee of £15000. Here he was sent out on loan to a number of clubs to gain experience and match practice. These clubs included Carlisle United and Northampton Town. In between these loan deals he also managed to make first team appearances for Preston. However, after just thirty-one appearances for the club he was signed permanently by Carlisle in 1996.

During his time at Carlisle he helped them to promotion to the English Second Division including key goals against Lincoln City in a 1–0 victory and in a 5–1 victory over Torquay United. In the following season he did enough to impress over two league fixtures against Watford that Hornets manager, Graham Taylor, would pay £100,000 for his signature in 1998.

When at Watford he helped them get promoted to the Premier League for the 1999–2000 season. He scored the second goal after coming on as a substitute in Watford's 2–0 victory against Bolton in the 1999 Football League First Division play-off final.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/357452.stm|title=Watford back in the big time|publisher=BBC Sport |date=31 May 1999|access-date=24 May 2020}} Watford struggled to get a foot hold in the division as they finished 20th with just 24 points. However Smart still managed to score goals, including the winner against Chelsea{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-smart-dumbfounds-chelsea-1120303.html|title=Smart dumbfounds Chelsea |work=The Independent |date=18 September 1999 |access-date=8 February 2010| location=London| first=Andrew| last=Longmore}} and the equaliser against Tottenham Hotspur.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/fa_carling_premiership/690386.stm|title=Smart snatches point|publisher=BBC |date=25 March 2000 |access-date=1 May 2012}} He stayed with the club until November 2001, after two loan moves to Hibernian (where he scored once against St Johnstone){{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/1555964.stm|title=Hibs thump sad Saints|publisher=BBC

|date=23 September 2001 |access-date=8 February 2010}} and Stoke City respectively. In his second and final appearance for Stoke he was sent off after a clash with Oldham's Darren Sheridan on 21 November 2001.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/1666045.stm|title=Stoke 0–0 Oldham|publisher=BBC |date=21 November 2001 |access-date=1 May 2012}} He then signed for Oldham Athletic for a fee of £225,000 on 30 November 2001 and would ironically line up alongside Sheridan for his Oldham debut against Cardiff on 1 December 2001,{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/1684374.stm|title=Cardiff 3–1 Oldham|publisher=BBC |date=1 December 2001 |access-date=1 May 2012}} a matter of days after their initial altercation.

His time at Oldham was both frustrating and disappointing for Smart, as he managed just twenty-one appearances during his season-long stay at the club, before being released at the end of the season. Since leaving Oldham in 2002, he had spells at Dundee United, Crewe Alexandra, MK Dons and Bury (where he scored once against Leyton Orient){{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/4126760.stm|title=Bury 1–2 Leyton Orient |publisher=BBC |date=9 August 2005 |access-date=8 February 2010}} before signing for Portadown in the close season of 2006. He scored nine goals over the course of the 2006–07 season.{{citeweb|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/6612683.stm|title=Portadown release striker Smart|publisher=BBC Sport|date=1 May 2007}}

In July 2007, Smart joined Conference North side Burscough on a season-long loan.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/6901436.stm|title=Smart exits Ports for Burscough |date=16 July 2007|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=2 September 2008}} When the loan deal expired, Smart made the move permanent as his Portadown contract had also expired. After the departure of manager Liam Watson from Burscough, Smart became the assistant manager at the club, whilst also remaining on the playing staff. In September 2009, he took up a full-time job, as Head of Youth Development at Southport, while temporarily remaining as player and assistant manager part-time at Burscough.

In November 2014, Smart took on his first position as a manager after replacing Darran Foster at Southern League Division One Central side Daventry Town.{{cite web |url=http://www.southern-football-league.co.uk/league-news/daventry-appoint-smart-as-new-manager |title=Daventry appoint Smart as new Manager | the Evo-Stik League Southern |access-date=2014-11-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141109140136/http://www.southern-football-league.co.uk/league-news/daventry-appoint-smart-as-new-manager |archive-date=9 November 2014 }}

After the shock departure of chairman Iain Humphrey in June 2015, Smart relinquished his role as manager to become Daventry Town's new chairman.{{Cite web|date=2015-06-24|title=Blow for Daventry as Chairman Resigns|url=https://nonleague.pitchero.com/uncategorized/blow-for-daventry-as-chairman-resigns-40300/|access-date=2021-06-26|website=Pitchero Non-League|language=en-GB}}

Personal life

Smart is divorced with four children.{{cite news|url=https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/18702676.former-watford-player-allan-smart-contemplated-ending/|title=Former Watford player Allan Smart contemplated ending it all|publisher=Watford Observer|date=7 September 2020|access-date=21 September 2020}} He is the son of a retired policeman.

In December 2001, Smart was involved in an incident after Oldham Athletic's Christmas party which saw him grab the throat of a barman, headbutt a fan of the club and cause £3,049 of damage to some hotel doors. In March 2002 he was arrested for assaulting a police officer in a brawl outside a police station. He subsequently pled guilty to affray, damaging property and assault with intent to resist arrest and was ordered to pay a £2,350 in compensation and costs.{{cite news|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/former-latics-striker-escapes-jail-1141612|title=Former Latics striker escapes jail term for drunken hotel brawl|publisher=Manchester Evening News|date=19 June 2005|access-date=21 September 2020}}

In March 2017, Smart pled guilty to a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm at Swindon Crown Court after he bit off the earlobe of a friend in April 2016. He was ordered to pay a fine of £1,500 and do 300 hours of community work.{{cite news|url=https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/15135987.former-watford-striker-allan-smart-spared-jail-after-biting-friends-ear-off/|title=Former Watford striker Allan Smart spared jail after biting friend's ear off|publisher=Watford Observer|date=6 March 2017|access-date=21 September 2020}}

Career statistics

Source:{{ENFA}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
rowspan="2"\|Club !rowspan="2"\|Season !colspan="3"\|League !colspan="2"\|FA Cup !colspan="2"\|League Cup !colspan="2"\|Other{{ref label\|Other\|A

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

rowspan="2"|Club

!rowspan="2"|Season

!colspan="3"|League

!colspan="2"|FA Cup

!colspan="2"|League Cup

!colspan="2"|Other{{ref label|Other|A

}

!colspan="2"|Total

!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals

|rowspan=3|Preston North End

|1994–95

|Third Division

|19||6||2||1||0||0||1||0||22||7

|1995–96

|Third Division

|2||0||0||0||0||0||1||0||3||0

!colspan=2|Total

!21!!6!!2!!1!!0!!0!!2!!0!!25!!7

|Carlisle United (loan)

|1995–96

|Second Division

|4||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||4||0

|Northampton Town (loan)

|1996–97

|Third Division

|1||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||1||0

|rowspan=3|Carlisle United

|1996–97

|Third Division

|28||10||4||0||0||0||5||0||37||10

|1997–98

|Second Division

|16||6||0||0||1||1||0||0||17||7

!colspan=2|Total

!44!!16!!4!!0!!1!!1!!5!!0!!54!!17

|rowspan=5|Watford

|1998–99

|First Division

|35||7||1||0||1||0||3||1||40||8

|1999–2000

|Premier League

|14||5||0||0||2||0||0||0||16||5

|2000–01

|First Division

|8||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||8||0

|2001–02

|First Division

|0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0

!colspan=2|Total

!57!!12!!1!!0!!3!!0!!3!!1!!64!!13

|Hibernian (loan)

|2001–02

|Scottish Premier League

|5||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||5||1

|Stoke City (loan)

|2001–02

|Second Division

|2||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||2||0

|Oldham Athletic

|2001–02

|Second Division

|21||6||1||0||0||0||2||1||24||7

|Dundee United

|2002–03

|Scottish Premier League

|17||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||18||0

|Crewe Alexandra

|2003–04

|First Division

|6||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||6||0

|Milton Keynes Dons

|2004–05

|League One

|18||4||2||1||2||1||0||0||22||6

|Bury

|2005–06

|League Two

|13||1||0||0||1||0||0||0||14||1

!colspan="3"|Career total

!209!!46!!10!!2!!8!!2!!12!!2!!239!!52

:A. {{note|Other}} The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Football League Trophy and Football League play-offs.

Honours

Carlisle United

Football League Trophy: 1996–97{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-happy-ending-for-carlisle-1268389.html |title=Football: Happy ending for Carlisle |first=Trevor |last=Haylett |website=The Independent |date=21 April 1997 |access-date=26 April 2024}}