Huddersfield Town keeper Alex Smithies: Leeds United match was making of me

Jun 26 2009 by Nick Lavigueur, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Alex Smithies

HUDDERSFIELD Town and England keeper Alex Smithies has had a rapid rise up the ranks.

At 19, he’s just finished a season as first choice goalie and is hopeful he’ll be England’s number one at this summer’s Under 19 European Championships.

But if anyone knows the value of a bit of good luck it’s Alex.

During the winter of 2007 he was only third in line for the gloves down at the Galpharm.

But everything would change for him on December 5 that year when first choice keeper Matt Glennon was sent off away at Southend.

With Glennon’s deputy Simon Eastwood sidelined through injury, Smithies was thrown in at the deep-end for his first team debut aged just 17.

He let in two goals but with no other professional keepers on the books, then manager Andy Ritchie was forced to play him in the biggest match of the season at Leeds.

Town lost four nil but Smithies could not have played in a more hostile environment and said the experience just made him more determined to succeed.

“It was a hard way to come into the first team. Most people get their debut at home against a small team,” said Smithies.

“But the experience I got from that game has helped me massively and now I think I’m as strong as any keeper in the division.

“I played against Leeds again last season and we won one nil, so I got my own back there.

“And I got man of the match for that game, so that’s the proudest moment of my career so far.”

Unlike many keepers Smithies has been a goalie since he was a youngster.

He began playing for Westend Juniors when he was just six-years-old.

He said: “My friend’s dad chucked me in goal and said ‘you have a go’. I ended up doing quite well and playing in a match and everything took off for me from there.

“At that age I’d tried every position but once I found goal keeping that was it for me, I just stuck with it.

“At first when I was a kid I used to like the idea that all keepers are mad.

“But I think all footballers are mad at the moment, there’s some crazy Town players, Gary Roberts and Ian Craney for instance, they’re all mad.”

Smithies only had a couple of seasons at Westend before he was signed up by the Terriers at the tender age of nine.

He’s been at Huddersfield ever since.

“I think I was quite tall for my age and they were happy to give me a trial.

“I suppose they must have seen something in me.

“As a kid I loved football, so going to train three times a week and then playing a match was ideal for me, it was every kid’s dream.

“Obviously I had school but I used to look forward to training in the evenings so it did help me get through school.”