Chris Smith (footballer, born 1986)

Wallace Christopher Smith (born 5 March 1986) is a Retired Scottish professional footballer who last played as a goalkeeper for Scottish League One side Dumbarton before switching his footballing career to be a police officer.

Chris Smith
Personal information
Full name Wallace Christopher Smith
Date of birth (1986-03-05) 5 March 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2010 St Mirren 78 (0)
2009Dunfermline Athletic (loan) 3 (0)
2010Dunfermline Athletic (loan) 6 (0)
2010–2012 Dunfermline Athletic 51 (0)
2012–2013 St Mirren 0 (0)
2013Stenhousemuir (loan) 7 (0)
2013–2015 Stenhousemuir 36 (0)
2015–2017 Stirling Albion 65 (0)
2017–2018 Stenhousemuir 30 (0)
2018–2019 East Kilbride 0 (0)
2018–2019Dumbarton (loan) 9 (0)
2019–2020 Annan Athletic 10 (0)
2020–2021 Dumbarton 2 (0)
International career
2007–2008 Scotland U21[1] 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:28, 27 March 2021 (UTC)

Smith has previously played for St Mirren, Dunfermline Athletic, Stenhousemuir, Stirling Albion, East Kilbride, Dumbarton (on loan) and Annan Athletic.

Career edit

Smith, a goalkeeper born in Glasgow, progressed through the youth ranks at St Mirren. He helped the club win two trophies in 2005–06, when St Mirren won the 2005 Scottish Challenge Cup Final[2] and the 2005–06 Scottish First Division championship.

He then signed a contract to keep him at St Mirren until the summer of 2011. Following the departure of Tony Bullock and Craig Hinchliffe, he became the first choice goalkeeper for the Buddies, although he suffered a cruciate ligament injury in March 2009.[3] He was a regular in the Scotland under-21 squad. For the 2009–10 season, Smith's number 1 shirt was given to new signing Paul Gallacher and he was given 30 instead.

On 1 December 2009, Smith was loaned for a month to Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Football League First Division.[4] Smith played three times for the Pars before breaking his foot and returning to St Mirren.[5] He re-joined Dunfermline for a second loan spell later in the season. He then joined Dunfermline outright, on a one-year deal for the 2010–11 season.[6] Smith played regularly for Dunfermline in the latter part of the 2011–12 Scottish Premier League season, due to injuries suffered by Paul Gallacher and Iain Turner.[7] He was released by Dunfermline at the end of the season.[8]

Smith signed for St Mirren in August 2012, providing cover after Grant Adam suffered a tibia injury.[8]

On 22 March 2013, Smith was loaned out to Second Division Stenhousemuir until the end of season 2012–13.[9] At the end of the 2014–15 season, Smith agreed terms with Stirling Albion.[10] Smith spent two seasons with the Binos before being released in May 2017.[11] Smith subsequently re-signed for Stenhousemuir in June 2017.[12] He joined East Kilbride in the summer of 2018, before joining Scottish League One side Dumbarton on loan in October 2018 after Grant Adam was ruled out through injury.[13] After five appearances he left the club in November 2018, before returning three weeks later again on an emergency loan deal.[14] He joined Scottish League Two side Annan Athletic in November 2019 after impressing as a trialist.[15] He joined Dumbarton for a second time, this time on a permanent deal, in October 2020.[16] He left the club due to work commitments on 6 April 2021.[17]

Personal life edit

Outside of football, Smith works as a police officer in Glasgow.[18][19]

Career statistics edit

As of 17:28, 27 March 2021 (UTC)
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Scottish Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
St Mirren 2004–05[20] First Division 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2005–06[21] 23 0 1 0 1 0 3[a] 0 28 0
2006–07[22] Premier League 21 0 0 0 1 0 22 0
2007–08[23] 28 0 4 0 1 0 33 0
2008–09[24] 4 0 2 0 0 0 6 0
St Mirren total 78 0 7 0 3 0 3 0 91 0
Dunfermline Athletic (loan) 2009–10[25] First Division 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0
Dunfermline Athletic 2010–11[26] First Division 36 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 40 0
2011–12[27] Premier League 15 0 2 0 0 0 17 0
Dunfermline total 51 0 4 0 2 0 0 0 57 0
Stenhousemuir (loan) 2012–13[28] Second Division 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
Stenhousemuir 2013–14[29] League One 36 0 4 0 1 0 1[a] 0 42 0
2014–15[30] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Stenhousemuir total 36 0 4 0 1 0 1 0 42 0
Stirling Albion 2015–16[31] League Two 34 0 5 0 1 0 1[a] 0 41 0
2016–17[32] 31 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 37 0
Stirling total 65 0 8 0 4 0 1 0 78 0
Stenhousemuir 2017–18[33] League Two 30 0 2 0 3 0 5 0 40 0
Dumbarton (loan) 2018–19 League One 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 0
Annan Athletic 2019–20 League Two 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
Dumbarton 2020–21 League One 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Career total 298 0 28 0 13 0 10 0 347 0
  1. ^ a b c Appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup

References edit

  1. ^ "Scotland U21 Player Chris Smith Details".
  2. ^ "St Mirren 2-1 Hamilton Accies". BBC. 6 November 2005. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  3. ^ "Injury blow for St Mirren keeper". BBC Sport. 27 March 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  4. ^ "Pars sign Buddies keeper on loan". BBC Sport. 1 December 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  5. ^ "Goalkeeper Smith suffers break". BBC Sport. 17 December 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
  6. ^ "Pars sign goalkeeper". Dunfermline Athletic official website. 7 July 2010. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  7. ^ "Dunfermline can stay in SPL, says goalkeeper Chris Smith". BBC Sport. BBC. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  8. ^ a b "St Mirren return for goalkeeper Chris Smith after Grant Adam blow". BBC Sport. BBC. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  9. ^ "Smith goes on loan to Stenhousemuir". Paisley Daily Express. 22 March 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  10. ^ "Smith is first signing". stirlingalbionfc.co.uk. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Squad news". Stirling Albion FC. 10 May 2017. Archived from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  12. ^ "Player news". Stenhousemuir FC. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ Galloway, Andy (25 October 2018). "KEEPER JOINS". Dumbarton Football Club.
  14. ^ Findlay, Alan (21 December 2018). "PREVIEW : DUMBARTON v STRANRAER". Dumbarton Football Club. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Trialist signs on". Annan Athletic FC. 19 October 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  16. ^ "Dumbarton Football Club - GOALKEEPER SMITH RETURNS TO DUMBARTON". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Dumbarton Football Club - CHRIS SMITH LEAVES DUMBARTON". www.dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  18. ^ "Stenhousemuir's Smith on sideline for Brora trip". Falkirk Herald. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  19. ^ Johnstone, Darren (1 August 2016). "Stirling Albion goalkeeper Chris Smith on the mend following sickening fall". Deadline News Agency.
  20. ^ "Games played by Chris Smith in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  21. ^ "Games played by Chris Smith in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  22. ^ "Games played by Chris Smith in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  23. ^ "Games played by Chris Smith in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  24. ^ "Games played by Chris Smith in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  25. ^ "Games played by Chris Smith in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  26. ^ "Games played by Chris Smith in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  27. ^ "Games played by Chris Smith in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  28. ^ "Games played by Chris Smith in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  29. ^ "Games played by Chris Smith in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  30. ^ "Games played by Chris Smith in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  31. ^ "Games played by Chris Smith in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  32. ^ "Games played by Chris Smith in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  33. ^ "Games played by Chris Smith in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 November 2017.

External links edit