Alex Smith

Smith started his career as a trainee at Everton; he never made the first-team and was instead transferred to Swindon Town in January 1996. However, he was used mainly as a substitute in their Second Division winning 1995–96 season and in their subsequent First Division campaigns. In all, he made 31 appearances for Steve McMahon's "Robins", scoring his first senior goal in a 2–1 win over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on 8 February 1997. He enjoyed a two-month loan spell with Huddersfield Town in January 1998. He featured six times at the Galpharm Stadium under Peter Jackson. At the end of the 1997–98 season, he left the County Ground on a free transfer to Kevin Ratcliffe's Chester City. Within nine months at the Cheshire club, he had raised his profile after making some impressive performances during his 32 Third Division appearances in 1998–99. Smith was purchased by Brian Horton's Port Vale in March 1999 for a fee of £75,000. He played eight games in the rest of the campaign, helping Vale to edge away from relegation, but only played 15 games in 1999–2000, as the "Valiants" were relegated to the third tier. He made 47 appearances in 2000–01, helping the club to lift the Football League Trophy in 2001 with a 2–1 victory over Brentford at the Millennium Stadium. After this success he left Vale Park for Alan Pardew's Reading on a free transfer. He played 17 games in 2001–02, as the "Royals" won promotion as the Second Division's runners-up. He then found himself out…

Swindon Town

Football League Second Division: 1995–96 Port Vale

Football League Trophy: 2000–01 Reading

Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 2001–02 Chester City

Conference National: 2003–04