Bernard Smith (footballer)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bernard Smith | ||
| Date of birth | 1908 | ||
| Place of birth | Sileby, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Left back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Loughborough Corinthians | |||
| 1932–1935 | Birmingham | 12 | (0) |
| 1935–1939 | Coventry City | 56 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Bernard Smith (1908 – after 1938) was an English professional footballer who made 68 appearances in the Football League playing for Birmingham and Coventry City.[2] He played as a left back.
Smith was born in Sileby, Leicestershire. He played for Loughborough Corinthians, and after an unsuccessful trial with Derby County, joined Birmingham in February 1932.[3]
At the start of the 1932–33 season, Birmingham's regular left back Ned Barkas was recovering from an appendicitis operation,[4] so left-half Jimmy Cringan took his position. Cringan broke a collarbone in his first game,[5] and was replaced by reserve left-back Jack Randle, who played four games[6] before Smith, the second reserve, was drafted in for his debut at Derby County on 17 September 1932,[1] which finished as a 2–2 draw. This was the first of a run of games, but when the experienced Barkas returned to the side Smith could not dislodge him.[6]
Smith moved on to Coventry City in August 1935, and contributed to their Third Division South championship in his first season.[3] He played 56 league games for Coventry,[2] and retired in 1939.[3]
Smith is the grandfather of The Times' football journalist Rory Smith.[7]
