George Smith (Scottish footballer)

{{Infobox football biography

| name = George Smith

| image =

| fullname =

| height = 5ft 10in

| position = Forward

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1935|06|01|df=y}}[http://www.thethistlearchive.net/George-Smith George Smith], The Thistle Archive

| birth_place = Bathgate, Scotland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Torphichen Juveniles

| youthyears2 = 1951–1953

| youthclubs2 = Partick Thistle

| years1 = 1953–1964

| clubs1 = Partick Thistle

| caps1 = 226 | goals1 = 77

| years2 = 1964

|clubs2= Dundee United

| caps2 = 6 | goals2 = 1

|years3= 1964–1966

|clubs3= Ballymena United

| caps3 = | goals3 =

|nationalyears1 = 1958

|nationalteam1 = Scottish League XI

|nationalcaps1 = 1

|nationalgoals1= 0

| manageryears1 = 1965–1966

| managerclubs1 = Ballymena United

}}

George Smith (born 1 June 1935) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a forward, primarily for Partick Thistle.[http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/partick/partick.html Partick Thistle 1946/47 - 2013/14], Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Transfer Database

Career

Having joined while still a schoolboy at Bathgate Academy, Smith was with Partick Thistle during a relatively successful era for the Jags across the 1950s and early 60s, and played in two of their Scottish League Cup final appearances in the era (all of which were lost) – he was injured in the first against Celtic in 1956, and scored a consolation goal in the second against Heart of Midlothian in the 1958 edition. The club made a challenge for the Scottish Football League title in the 1962–63 season, but lost form after delays caused by a very harsh winter. He did win the Glasgow Cup on two occasions.[http://partickthistleahistory.wikifoundry.com/page/1954-55+Glasgow+Cup+Final Dandy Thistle Forward Line Hard to Hold], Evening Times, 27 September 1954 (via Partick Thistle History Archive)[http://partickthistleahistory.wikifoundry.com/page/1960-61+-+Glasgow+Cup Glasgow Cup For Partick Thistle], The Glasgow Herald, 27 October 1960 (via Partick Thistle History Archive)

Other personal achievements included scoring four goals in a League Cup match against Stirling Albion in one of his first senior appearances,[http://partickthistleahistory.wikifoundry.com/page/1957+-+George+Smith I scored four of them | George Smith], match programme, Partick Thistle FC, 1957, Partick Thistle History Archive and being selected for the Scottish Football League XI in 1958.[https://www.londonhearts.com/SFL/players/georgesmith.html SFL player George Smith], London Hearts Supporters Club He was in the travelling squad for the full Scotland team in May 1957,[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=U35AAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tKMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6518%2C2694951 Scottish Selectors Miss Chance To Experiment], The Glasgow Herald, 22 May 1957 but due to the importance of the three games in Europe (two important World Cup qualifiers and a friendly against holders West Germany) he was not risked to start, and with no substitutes at that time there was also no option of a later introduction from the bench.

In January 1964, having fallen out of favour at Firhill, Smith transferred to Dundee United in an exchange deal involving Norrie Davidson.[https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/blether-dundee-uniteds-shock-signing-of-striker-who-decided-to-leave-celtic/ Blether: Dundee United's shock signing of striker who decided to leave Celtic], Evening Telegraph, 13 May 2019 The move did not work out, and in his short spell at Tannadice Park – interrupted by a viral infection – he only scored once,[https://www.arabarchive.co.uk/player.php?id=447 George Smith Player Profile], ArabArchive having found the net 125 times in all competitions during his decade with Partick.[http://partickthistleahistory.wikifoundry.com/page/Players+S Players: S], Partick Thistle History Archive By that summer he had departed to become player-manager at Ballymena United in Northern Ireland.[http://www.ballymenaunitedfc.com/history/history/managerhistory.php Managerial History], Ballymena United FC

Personal life

Outside football he studied at the University of Edinburgh and trained to become a schoolteacher, eventually becoming a senior staff member at Alva Academy by the 1990s. He was an accomplished sprinter, winning a cash prize at the Jedburgh Border Games in 1961.[https://www.jedburgh-border-games.com/1960.htm 1960~1972], Jedburgh Border Games In the 1970s he also worked in broadcasting, providing sports reports for BBC Scotland television.

His son Trevor was also a footballer[http://partickthistleahistory.wikifoundry.com/page/1993+-+George+Smith+Feature Connections | George Smith], match programme, Dundee United FC, 1 May 1993, via Partick Thistle History Archive who played for clubs including Dunfermline Athletic and Hamilton Academical.[http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player2/trevorsmith.html Trevor Smith], Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Transfer Database