Adie Smith (born August 11 1973 in Birmingham, England) is a professional footballer, currently playing for Conference North side Tamworth, where he plays as a defender.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adie Smith | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Tamworth | ||
Playing Career
Birmingham City
Adie started his football career in 1994 with his local side Birmingham City as a trainee.
Willenhall Town
However Smith failed to make the first team with Birmingham City, and moved on to join Midland Football Alliance side Willenhall Town in 1995.
Smith spent one season with Willenhall Town, in which he turned in some very impressive performances, which alerted interest from other clubs.
Bromsgrove Rovers
Smith began to rise up the leagues and was snapped up by Bromsgrove Rovers of the Conference on August 1 1996.
Smith spent exactly one whole season with Bromsgrove Rovers, but the season ended in disappointment when the club where relegated.
Kidderminster Harriers
Adie's performances with Bromsgrove Rovers hadn't gone unnoticed and had captured the interest of local rivals Kidderminster Harriers for whom he joined on August 1, 1997 for £19,000, giving Smith another crack at Conference football.
Smith became a fans favourite with the Kidderminster Harriers faithful and after just two seasons in the Conference, Smith and Kidderminster Harriers won the Conference title in the 1999/00 season, and where promoted to the Third Division.
Adie stayed with Kidderminster for another three seasons in the Third Division, but on February 6, 2004 Smith asked for his contract with Kidderminster to be terminated for personal reasons, in which a disappointed Kidderminster manager Jan Molby respected his wishes and agreed to[1].
Smith had became a great servent to Kidderminster Harriers, playing 243 games and scored 13 goals, Adie explained his sudden decision to quit Kidderminster had been based on the defender wanting to turn semi-professional as he believed he could no longer play at a professional level.
Tamworth
On February 6, 2004 Tamworth manager Darron Gee announced the signing of Adie Smith on an 18-month contract[2]. Smith completed the remainder of the season with Tamworth, with the club finishing in 17th position and avoiding relegation.
Adie's second season with Tamworth was without doubt the best for a league perspective, the club were yet again seen as potensial relegation battlers, but defied the odds to finish 15th and make history with The Lambs gaining their highest league position in their history, although by the end of this season, Smith's contract had run out.
On April 14 2005, Adie showed his loyalty to the club by resigned a contract[3]. Smith by this point had become the clubs captain and led The Lambs to another historic feat, when they made the FA Cup Third Round. The club drew Stoke City and managed to take them to a replay at the Lamb, before going out on penalties.
Although Adie and Tamworth had a very successful FA Cup run, the club failed to emulate the same form in the league and were relegated after 21st. The club were reinstated when Canvey Island withdrew from the league due to financial problems.
Adie and Tamworth started the 2006/07 season and finished it pretty much the same as they did the previous season. The club repeated the success they had enjoyed the following season by reaching FA Cup Third Round, but another disappointing league campaign saw Tamworth finish 22nd and was relegated from the Nationwide Conference.
Despite their relegation from the Nationwide Conference, Tamworth fans got the news they all wanted, when Adie signed a new one-year contract with the Staffordshire club on May 4 2007[4]. Smith explained that his decision was an easy one, due to his love for the club, fans and people at the club.
Honours
Kidderminster Harriers
Winner
- 1999/00 Nationwide Conference
Trivia
- Adie considers his best friend in football to be Scott Stamps. The pair played alongside each other whilst at Kidderminster Harriers and Tamworth.
References
External links
- Adie Smith at Soccerbase
- Tamworth FC Profile
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