Alex Smithies

Huddersfield Town

Early seasons 2007–2009

Having come through the Academy of the club he grew up supporting, Smithies made his first-team début on 5 December 2007. He came on as a 76th-minute substitute after Matt Glennon was sent off during Huddersfield Town's 4–1 defeat by Southend United at Roots Hall. His full début came in a 4–0 defeat at Leeds United on 8 December, after Glennon lost an appeal against his dismissal and Town were refused permission to loan an emergency goalkeeper on the grounds that Smithies was registered as a professional. Smithies' first appearance at the Galpharm Stadium for a first-team match was on 6 December 2008. In this match, caretaker manager Gerry Murphy dropped regular goalkeeper Matt Glennon in favour of Smithies, who went on to help Huddersfield to a 2–1 victory over Walsall. The first clean sheet he kept for the club came on 13 December 2008. In the 1–0 win over Southend United, Smithies saved a penalty from James Walker, ten minutes from time. Smithies became the first-choice keeper for the remainder of the 2008–09 season and, after the arrival of manager Lee Clark, made the number one jersey his own.

2009–10 season and first team

Throughout the 2009–10 season, Smithies was the only player to play in each and every league and cup match for Huddersfield. He made 48 starts, 17 of which resulted in a clean sheet for the Terriers. His contribution in helping Huddersfield to a final position inside the League…

He has four caps for the England U-16s and ten caps for the England U-17s including five during the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea. In this competition he helped England U-17s make it to the quarter-finals, before they were eventually eliminated by Germany after a 4–1 defeat. On 20 November 2007, Smithies made his debut for the England U-18 team, where he played 45 minutes in their 2–0 win against Ghana U-18s at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium. In November 2008, Smithies received his first England U-19 call up for a friendly against Germany U-19. His first match for the U19's came against Spain U-19 at Bournemouth's Dean Court ground on 10 February 2009, in a 3–0 defeat. On 24 August 2010, Smithies received his first call-up to the England U-21s for their matches against Portugal U-21s and Lithuania U-21s.

Smithies was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. He grew up in Golcar, in the Colne Valley area of Huddersfield. He attended Colne Valley High School, Linthwaite. He grew up supporting Huddersfield Town. Smithies previously played football for Westend Juniors in Huddersfield's local leagues, and he joined the Huddersfield Town academy at the age of 8.

Huddersfield Town

Football League One play-offs: 2012 Individual

Football League Young Player of the Month: February 2010 Queens Park Rangers Supporters' Player of the Year: 2016–17 Queens Park Rangers Players' Player of the Year: 2016–17