1935 Smith, John
Biographical Text
John Smith is reported to have played for Exeter City's Exeter and District League side in the mid-1930s prior to making a dozen or so Football League appearances for Gillingham.
The English National Football Archive lists a John Smith who was registered with Exeter City, Maidstone United and Gillingham in the period between 1935/36 and 1937/38. His Wikipedia entry notes that he did not make a first-team appearance for the Grecians before moving on to Maidstone United from where he signed for Gillingham in May 1937. With the Medway club not re-elected to the Football League at the end of the 1937/38, he is recorded as having made fourteeen Football League appearances during his first season followed by a greater number of Southern League appearances in 1938/39.
However there is scant evidence of how often he had played for Exeter City at a time when the Grecians had two professionals with the same surname: Charlie Smith, a winger, who made five league appearances; Fred Smith, another winger (who co-incidently left St James' Park to join Gillingham) who appeared in twenty-four league games for City. Both signed professional at the start of the 1936/37 season.
Duly Charlie and Fred Smith each appear in the 1936/37 team photograph although there is no sign of a John Smith. Yet a 'Smith' - without an initial - is shown as scoring a total of five goals against Friernhay and Ilfracombe in the Exeter and District League in April 1936. This could be Charlie, who played for City's third team that season, although he does not appear to have been a regular goalscorer. The alternative is that this may have been John Smith, possibly playing as a triallist, before commiting to Maidstone for the following season.
The English National Football Archive lists a John Smith who was registered with Exeter City, Maidstone United and Gillingham in the period between 1935/36 and 1937/38. His Wikipedia entry notes that he did not make a first-team appearance for the Grecians before moving on to Maidstone United from where he signed for Gillingham in May 1937. With the Medway club not re-elected to the Football League at the end of the 1937/38, he is recorded as having made fourteeen Football League appearances during his first season followed by a greater number of Southern League appearances in 1938/39.
However there is scant evidence of how often he had played for Exeter City at a time when the Grecians had two professionals with the same surname: Charlie Smith, a winger, who made five league appearances; Fred Smith, another winger (who co-incidently left St James' Park to join Gillingham) who appeared in twenty-four league games for City. Both signed professional at the start of the 1936/37 season.
Duly Charlie and Fred Smith each appear in the 1936/37 team photograph although there is no sign of a John Smith. Yet a 'Smith' - without an initial - is shown as scoring a total of five goals against Friernhay and Ilfracombe in the Exeter and District League in April 1936. This could be Charlie, who played for City's third team that season, although he does not appear to have been a regular goalscorer. The alternative is that this may have been John Smith, possibly playing as a triallist, before commiting to Maidstone for the following season.
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