| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gordon Melville Smith[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1954-07-03)3 July 1954 | ||
| Place of birth | Partick, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 5 April 2014(2014-04-05) (aged 59) | ||
| Place of death | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Position | Full back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rangers B.C. | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1972–1976 | St Johnstone | 112 | (8) |
| 1976–1979 | Aston Villa | 79 | (0) |
| 1979–1982 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | (1) |
| 1982–1984 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 38 | (3) |
| 1985 | Pittsburgh Spirit | 33 | (0) |
| 1985–1986 | Barnet | 22 | (0) |
| Total | 335 | (13) | |
| International career | |||
| 1975 | Scotland U23 | 4 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gordon Melville Smith (3 July 1954 – 5 April 2014) was a Scottish professionalfootballer who played as afull back.
Born inPartick, he played for the amateur clubs Rangers B.C. and Glasgow United before turning professional withSt Johnstone, at which time he was aforward before switching to a defensive role. He also played in England forAston Villa,Tottenham Hotspur andWolverhampton Wanderers, and in the United States forPittsburgh Spirit.[2]
While at Aston Villa, Smith helped them win the1976–77 Football League Cup, in the final of which he featured as a substitute in the second and decisive replay.[3]
Smith signed for Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £150,000, but never established himself as a first team regular. Certainly, he played his part in getting Spurs to the1981 FA Cup Final, but watched from the stands asRicardo Villa scored one of the iconic Wembley goals. In three seasons at White Hart Lane, he managed barely 30+ games.
While with St Johnstone he gained fourScottish under-23 caps.[4]
After his playing career, Smith ran a business which installed the special perimeter hoardings used inUEFA Champions League stadia.[1]
He died on 5 April 2014 fromnatural causes.[1] His grandfatherWillie Salisbury was also a footballer, primarily forPartick Thistle.[1]