Jimmy Smith (footballer born 1987)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Dean Smith | ||
| Date of birth | 7 January 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Newham, London, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder, winger | ||
| Club information | |||
|
Current team
|
Crawley Town | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–2005 | Chelsea | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2009 | Chelsea | 1 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | → Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 29 | (6) |
| 2007 | → Norwich City (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2009 | → Leyton Orient (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| 2009–2013 | Leyton Orient | 144 | (18) |
| 2013–2014 | Stevenage | 49 | (3) |
| 2014– | Crawley Town | 113 | (9) |
| National team | |||
| 2002–2003 | England U16 | 1 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | England U17 | 3 | (1) |
| 2005–2006 | England U19 | 7 | (2) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 May 2017 (UTC). |
|||
James Dean "Jimmy" Smith (born 7 January 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays for Crawley Town.
Smith began his career at Chelsea at the age of nine, progressing through the youth ranks before signing professional terms with the club in 2005. After featuring regularly for Chelsea's reserve side during the 2005–06 season, Smith made his first-team debut in May 2006. It turned out to be his only appearance for the club. The following season, he joined Championship side Queens Park Rangers on a season-long loan agreement, before spending three months on loan at Norwich City towards the latter months of 2007. Smith was loaned out once again ahead of the 2008–09 campaign, spending the first half of the season with Sheffield Wednesday. He returned to Chelsea in January 2009, only to join League One side Leyton Orient on a loan deal for the remainder of the season. Smith signed for Orient on a permanent basis in July 2009, signing a two-year contract. He spent four seasons with the club, making over 180 appearances in all competitions. He was released by Orient in April 2013, and signed for Stevenage ahead of the 2013–14 season. Smith has also represented England at various youth levels. Smith signed for League One side Crawley Town in May 2014 for an undisclosed fee.
Smith joined the Chelsea Academy aged nine and worked his way through the various youth levels. He signed for the club on professional terms at the age of 18 in 2005, and subsequently made the step up from the Academy squad to playing regularly for the reserve side. An attacking midfielder by trade, who can also play on both wings, Smith finished as the reserve side's top goalscorer for the 2005–06 season, predominantly playing in his preferred attacking midfield role. He was made captain of the reserve side during the season. After his impressive season for Chelsea's second-string, he was called up to the first-team by Chelsea manager José Mourinho, and made his only appearance for the Chelsea first-team in the last game of the 2005–06 Premier League campaign, coming on as an 81st-minute substitute for Ricardo Carvalho in a 1–0 defeat to Newcastle United at St James' Park. On his first-team debut, Smith said — "It was amazing – just travelling up with the squad was great but to get on in front of more than 50,000 Geordies was incredible. The players are great, they are always trying to help me and they just told me to take my chance and enjoy the occasion". In the pre-season ahead of the 2006–07 campaign, Smith travelled with the first-team squad on their pre-season tour of the United States. Despite his involvement during pre-season, Smith would not feature again for the Chelsea first-team. Speaking of his time at the West London club, Smith said — "It was frustrating that I never really got the chance. I remember thinking I was involved, then I'd go on loan. I'd come back to a new manager and think I'd have another chance. I was always in and around the first team but things changed".
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