For the Governor of Jamaica, see Lionel Smith, 1st Baronet

Lionel Smith (August 23, 1920 – November 6, 1980) was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

er.

Biography

Born in Mexborough

Mexborough

Mexborough is a town in the metropolitan borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, situated on the north bank of the River Don west of its confluence with the River Dearne...

, Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

, Smith played for local non-league sides before signing as an amateur with London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 club Arsenal F.C.

Arsenal F.C.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

 in April 1939. He turned professional that summer, only for World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 to break out; Smith joined the Royal Engineers

Royal Engineers

The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....

 and served as a sapper

Sapper

A sapper, pioneer or combat engineer is a combatant soldier who performs a wide variety of combat engineering duties, typically including, but not limited to, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, demolitions, field defences, general construction and building, as well as road and airfield...

, but also played in some wartime matches for Arsenal (17 in all). An injury incurred in a crane accident threatened to disrupt his career, but when first-class football resumed in 1946-47

1946-47 in English football

The 1946–47 season was the 67th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The 1946–47 season was the first to feature a full football programme since the 1938–39 campaign. Eighty-eight teams competed over four divisions. Liverpool went top of the First Division with a 2–1 away win over...

, Smith had made a full recovery, and was made captain of the Gunners' reserve side.

Smith primarily played as a full back, but his initial chances were few and far between; Arsenal already had experienced full backs in Laurie Scott

Laurie Scott (footballer)

Lawrence "Laurie" Scott was an English footballer.Born in Sheffield, Scott joined Bradford City as a youth player, and played 39 times for the Bantams, mostly as a winger. In February 1937 he was signed by Arsenal, though he only played as a reserve for the first two years at the club...

 and Walley Barnes

Walley Barnes

Walley Barnes was a Welsh footballer and broadcaster. He played for Arsenal, being part of their championship-winning side in 1947-48, and he captained the Welsh national side.-Early career:...

. Smith made his debut at centre half, deputising for Leslie Compton

Leslie Compton

Leslie Harry Compton was an English footballer and cricketer who played for Arsenal and Middlesex respectively...

, in an 8-0 victory over Grimsby Town

Grimsby Town F.C.

Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...

 on May 1, 1948, the final match of their 1947-48

1947-48 in English football

The 1947–48 season was the 68th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...

 First Division

Football League First Division

The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

-winning season. Smith finally gained a regular place at left back, after Scott suffered a series of injuries and Barnes switched sides to cover for him.

Smith was known for his pace and the quality of his distribution (whenever possible, he eschewed "hoofing" the ball up the pitch), and finally picked up a medal when he played in the Gunners' FA Cup

FA Cup

The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

 final victory over Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 in 1950

FA Cup Final

The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...

. Smith got international recognition when he was picked for England

England national football team

The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

 for a match against Wales

Wales national football team

The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

 on November 15, 1950, making his debut at the relatively late age of 30. He went on to win six caps for his country.

Having only played once in the Gunners' 1947-48 title-winning season, Smith finally picked up a League winners' medal in 1952-53

1952-53 in English football

The 1952–53 season was the 73rd season of competitive football in England.-Events:This was the closest championship win in English league history at the time, with Arsenal claiming the title by just 0.099 of a goal. Both Arsenal and Preston had identical records aside from their goal averages...

. However, by now he was 33, and his age was starting to count against him, especially with the younger Dennis Evans

Dennis Evans

Dennis Joseph Evans was an English football player.Born in Old Swan, Liverpool, Evans first played junior football for his hometown club, Ellesmere Port Town. He had an unsuccessful trial with Wolves, before signing for London side Arsenal and moving to Harringay in January 1951...

 threatening his place. He only played ten matches in 1953-54

1953-54 in English football

The 1953–54 season was the 74th season of competitive football in England.-National team:The Marvellous Magyars shocked football by defeating England 6–3 at Wembley Stadium.-Honours:...

, and at the end of that season he left the club on a free transfer. In all he had played 181 games for Arsenal, never scoring a goal.

He spent a single season at Watford

Watford F.C.

Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...

, before moving to Gravesend & Northfleet

Gravesend & Northfleet F.C.

Ebbsfleet United Football Club is an English professional football team currently playing in the Conference National. The team plays their home matches at Stonebridge Road in Northfleet, Kent. However, the club is now looking to build a new stadium in the Ebbsfleet Valley vicinity in...

 as manager, where he won the 1957-58

1957-58 in English football

The 1957–58 season was the 78th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:In this season, Sunderland was relegated for the first time in their history.This was the last season in which Division 3 was split, North and South...

 Southern League

Southern Football League

The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...

title. Smith stepped down as Gravesend manager in 1960, and retired from football altogether. He died in 1980, aged 60.