| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Owen Smith[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1998-11-04)4 November 1998 (age 27) | ||
| Place of birth | Leeds, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.84 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | FC Halifax Town | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Barnsley | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | Barnsley | 0 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | →Darlington (loan) | 14 | (1) |
| 2019–2024 | Harrogate Town | 85 | (5) |
| 2023 | →Scunthorpe United (loan) | 13 | (3) |
| 2023–2024 | →York City (loan) | 27 | (1) |
| 2024– | FC Halifax Town | 33 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13:17, 24 February 2025 (UTC) | |||
William Owen Smith (born 4 November 1998) is an English professionalfootballer who plays as adefender forNational League clubFC Halifax Town.
Smith made his senior debut forBarnsley in theEFL Trophy in 2018, and spent timeon loan atNational League North clubDarlington in 2018–19. He joinedHarrogate Town in 2019, and helped them win the2019–20 FA Trophy and gain promotion to theFootball League for the first time in the club's history. He played regularly, injury permitting, during his first three seasons with Harrogate, and then spent time on loan toScunthorpe United in 2022–23 andYork City in 2023–24. Released by Harrogate in 2024, he signed for FC Halifax Town.
Smith was born inLeeds, West Yorkshire.[3] He took up a scholarship withBarnsley in 2015,[4] and was named Academy Player of the Year for the 2015–16 season. He turned professional in May 2017,[5] and signed a new one-year contract in July 2018.[6] Smith made his senior debut for Barnsley on 13 November 2018 in theEFL Trophy.[7]
In December, Smith and Barnsley team-mateRomal Palmer joinedNational League North clubDarlington on a 28-day youth loan.[8] Smith played the whole of all six of Darlington's matches during the initial loan, which was then extended to the end of the season.[3][9]
He was offered a new contract by Barnsley at the end of the 2018–19 season,[10] but chose instead to leave the club and sign forHarrogate Town of theNational League.[11] According to Harrogate managerSimon Weaver, Smith showed at Darlington that he could cope with the physicality of men's football: "He's brave. He's a proper defender. He doesn't mind putting his head in there where it hurts and he knows how to defend his six-yard box. He's a big strong boy, but at the same time, he possesses that quality that the modern breed of centre-half has to have in his locker and can play football."[11]
Smith started 36 of a possible 37 league matches as Harrogate finished second in a2019–20 National League season truncated by theCOVID-19 pandemic. In the play-offs, his header led toJack Muldoon's goal by which Harrogate beatBoreham Wood in the play-off semi-final,[3][12] and inthe final, despite "not [having] a straightforward afternoon up against the imposing physical presence ofKyle Wootton",[13] he helped his team beatNotts County 3–1 and gain promotion into theFootball League for the first time in their history.[14] Smith was also on the winning side in that season'sFA Trophy, whose final was not played until May 2021.[15]
He remained a regular starter inLeague Two,[16] was reportedly "in the form of his life",[17] and scored his first Football League goal on 31 October, but in the next match, he fell awkwardly after an aerial challenge and was taken to hospital with his neck in a brace. He suffered mildwhiplash, but was out for nearly three months with torn tendons at the top of a hamstring.[18][17] He returned to his regular spot in the starting eleven and helped his team retain their Football League status, but suffered adead leg in 2021 pre-season and lost his place to the experienced new signingRory McArdle.[19][20] He played throughout October before undergoing surgery on adouble hernia and did not return to the starting eleven until mid-February 2022.[21][22]
On 17 February 2023, Smith returned to the National League when he joinedScunthorpe United on an initial one-month loan.[23] Having scored three goals in six matches, the loan was extended until the end of the season,[24] during which time he played in a further seven matches without scoring.[3] He played once more for Harrogate – in an 8–0 EFL Cup defeat at home toBlackburn Rovers[25][26] – before joining National League clubYork City on 25 September 2023 on a month's loan,[27] which was extended for a further month in October.[28] In January 2024, his loan was extended until the end of the season.[29]
He was released by Harrogate at the end of the 2023–24 season,[30] and signed for National League clubFC Halifax Town.[31]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barnsley | 2018–19[7] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Darlington (loan) | 2018–19[3] | National League North | 14 | 1 | — | — | — | 14 | 1 | |||
| Harrogate Town | 2019–20[3] | National League | 36 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 8[b] | 1 | 46 | 3 | |
| 2020–21[16] | League Two | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 35 | 2 | |
| 2021–22[33] | League Two | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 21 | 1 | |
| 2022–23[33] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2023–24[25] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 85 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 103 | 6 | ||
| Scunthorpe United (loan) | 2022–23[3] | National League | 13 | 3 | — | — | — | 13 | 3 | |||
| York City (loan) | 2023–24[3] | National League | 27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 1 | ||
| FC Halifax Town | 2024–25[3] | National League | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 36 | 1 | |
| Career total | 172 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 196 | 12 | ||
Harrogate Town