Paul Smith
| Date of birth | 22 January 1976 |
| Place of birth | Easington |
| Nationality | English |
| Weight | 84 kg |
| Height | 1.83 m |
| Position | Midfielder |
Unable to break into the Burnley team at the start of 2000-01, Paul spent two months on loan at Oldham Athletic where he made a handful of appearances before being struck down by a freak injury when he fell down an uncovered manhole.
This put him out of action for several weeks and, on returning to fitness, he finally broke through to the Clarets' first team shortly before Christmas, before enjoying another brief run in the starting line-up towards the end of the campaign when injuries gave him an opportunity in the left-wing-back-role.
Paul poses a threat going forward with his speed and accurate crosses and when he scored against QPR in March he ended a four-year spell without a goal.
Paul was made available for transfer by Sheffield Wednesday in July 2004.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burnley | 10 Jul 1994 | 30 Jun 2001 | |
| Oldham Athletic | 22 Sep 2000 | 15 Oct 2000 | L |
| Oxford United | 28 Aug 2001 | 04 Sep 2001 | T |
| Colchester United | 05 Sep 2001 | 12 Sep 2001 | T |
| Hartlepool United | 22 Oct 2001 | 29 Oct 2001 | T |
| Hartlepool United | 02 Nov 2001 | 30 Jun 2003 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 01 Jul 2003 | 30 Jun 2005 | |
| Preston North End | 31 Jul 2004 | 06 Aug 2004 | T |
| Burton Albion | 28 Nov 2005 | 02 Dec 2005 | T |
| Alfreton Town | 06 Jan 2006 | 31 Jan 2006 | |
| Kidderminster Harriers | 31 Jan 2006 | 20 Apr 2006 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | Burnley | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Burnley | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Burnley | League Division 1 | 10 | 4 |
1 |
5
|
|
| 2000-01 | Oldham Athletic | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Oldham Athletic | League Division 2 | 3 | 1 |
|||
| 2001-02 | Hartlepool United | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Hartlepool United | League Division 3 | 30 | 1 |
4 |
2
|
|
| 2001-02 | Hartlepool United | League Division 3 Play-Offs | 2 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Hartlepool United | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Hartlepool United | League Division 3 | 15 | 9 |
|||
| 2003-04 | Sheffield Wednesday | LDV Vans Trophy | 2 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Sheffield Wednesday | League Division 2 | 12 | 7 |
2 |
3
|
|
| 2004-05 | Sheffield Wednesday | LDV Vans Trophy | 1 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Sheffield Wednesday | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Sheffield Wednesday | League One | 7 | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 Nov 2001 | Plymouth Argyle v Hartlepool United | L | 1-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 06 Nov 2001 | Hartlepool United v Hull City | W | 4-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 10 Nov 2001 | Hartlepool United v Exeter City | W | 2-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 17 Nov 2001 | Swindon Town v Hartlepool United | L | 3-1 | FA Cup | 1st round |
| 20 Nov 2001 | Hartlepool United v Halifax Town | W | 3-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 23 Nov 2001 | Swansea City v Hartlepool United | W | 0-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 30 Nov 2001 | Hartlepool United v Rochdale | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 08 Dec 2001 | Hartlepool United v Luton Town | L | 1-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 22 Dec 2001 | Luton Town v Hartlepool United | D | 2-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 29 Dec 2001 | Hartlepool United v Leyton Orient | W | 3-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 12 Jan 2002 | Hartlepool United v Shrewsbury Town | D | 2-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 19 Jan 2002 | Mansfield Town v Hartlepool United | L | 3-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 26 Jan 2002 | Hartlepool United v Rushden and Diamonds | W | 5-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 29 Jan 2002 | Hartlepool United v Scunthorpe United | W | 3-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 05 Feb 2002 | Hull City v Hartlepool United | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 09 Feb 2002 | Hartlepool United v Torquay United | W | 4-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 12 Feb 2002 | Bristol Rovers v Hartlepool United | W | 0-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 16 Feb 2002 | York City v Hartlepool United | L | 1-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 19 Feb 2002 | Darlington v Hartlepool United | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 23 Feb 2002 | Hartlepool United v Southend United | W | 5-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 26 Feb 2002 | Cheltenham Town v Hartlepool United | L | 3-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 02 Mar 2002 | Kidderminster Harriers v Hartlepool United | L | 3-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 05 Mar 2002 | Hartlepool United v Lincoln City | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 09 Mar 2002 | Hartlepool United v Bristol Rovers | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 16 Mar 2002 | Rochdale v Hartlepool United | D | 0-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 19 Mar 2002 | Carlisle United v Hartlepool United | W | 0-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 22 Mar 2002 | Hartlepool United v Macclesfield Town | L | 1-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 30 Mar 2002 | Oxford United v Hartlepool United | W | 1-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 01 Apr 2002 | Hartlepool United v Plymouth Argyle | W | 1-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 06 Apr 2002 | Halifax Town v Hartlepool United | W | 0-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 13 Apr 2002 | Hartlepool United v Swansea City | W | 7-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 20 Apr 2002 | Exeter City v Hartlepool United | W | 0-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 27 Apr 2002 | Hartlepool United v Cheltenham Town | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 Play-Offs | Semi-final 1st leg |
| 30 Apr 2002 | Cheltenham Town v Hartlepool United | D |
1-1 Agg: 2-2 (4-5) |
League Division 3 Play-Offs | Semi-final 2nd leg |
| 17 Aug 2002 | Hartlepool United v Macclesfield Town | L | 0-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 24 Aug 2002 | Torquay United v Hartlepool United | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 26 Aug 2002 | Hartlepool United v Hull City | W | 2-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 31 Aug 2002 | Oxford United v Hartlepool United | W | 0-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 28 Sep 2002 | Hartlepool United v Rushden and Diamonds | L | 1-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 05 Oct 2002 | Shrewsbury Town v Hartlepool United | W | 0-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 13 Oct 2002 | AFC Bournemouth v Hartlepool United | L | 2-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 19 Oct 2002 | Hartlepool United v Wrexham | W | 4-3 | League Division 3 | |
| 25 Oct 2002 | Southend United v Hartlepool United | W | 0-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 29 Oct 2002 | Hartlepool United v Bristol Rovers | W | 2-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 01 Nov 2002 | Hartlepool United v York City | D | 0-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 09 Nov 2002 | Exeter City v Hartlepool United | W | 1-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 16 Nov 2002 | Southend United v Hartlepool United | D | 1-1 | FA Cup | 1st round |
| 23 Nov 2002 | Leyton Orient v Hartlepool United | W | 1-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 26 Nov 2002 | Hartlepool United v Southend United | L | 1-2 | FA Cup | 1st round replay |
| 30 Nov 2002 | Hartlepool United v Kidderminster Harriers | W | 2-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 21 Dec 2002 | Hartlepool United v Scunthorpe United | D | 2-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 26 Dec 2002 | Hull City v Hartlepool United | L | 2-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 15 Mar 2003 | Hartlepool United v Southend United | W | 2-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 18 Mar 2003 | Wrexham v Hartlepool United | L | 2-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 22 Mar 2003 | Bristol Rovers v Hartlepool United | L | 1-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 29 Mar 2003 | Hartlepool United v AFC Bournemouth | D | 0-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 05 Apr 2003 | Kidderminster Harriers v Hartlepool United | D | 2-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 21 Apr 2003 | Hartlepool United v Rochdale | D | 2-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 26 Apr 2003 | Hartlepool United v Shrewsbury Town | W | 3-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 03 May 2003 | Rushden and Diamonds v Hartlepool United | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.