Post by stewart on Sept 7, 2016 23:06:37 GMT
I have been waiting for someone to start a thread about one of the club's best ever defenders, but perhaps none of the current regular posters are old enough to remember him ? If you are old enough, then shame on you for allowing his passing to pass unnoticed. My personal reason for leaving such a thread so long is that I no longer attend matches due to arthritic knees, and for that reason I limit myself on this board to appreciations of the great players who represented the club in the 1960s.
Alan Smith was signed as a centre half from a non-league club near Liverpool in 1957, and had to wait four seasons before claiming a regular first team place, owing to the fact that George Northcott held down the centre half position during that period. George was supreme in the air but lacked pace and tactical awareness, so it was no surprise that he gave way to Alan in the 1961/62 season.
Alan Smith was a fair player but was also as hard as nails, as many opposing centre forwards realised when tackled by him. My personal idol as a teenager was Bill Foulkes of Manchester United, and Alan had all of his attributes at a relative level, namely dominant in the air and the tackle, and opponents seemed to bounce off him. Not the greatest distributor of the ball, agreed, but that didn't seem to matter in an era when passing to keep possession had not even been considered. Get it down the other end was the watchword of the day, so the forwards can have a chance of scoring.
Alan Smith played in all positions across the back four, but in 1964 he was suddenly switched with Colin Bettany, who had spent five of the previous seasons at right back, and that was how they lined up in the famous FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur in January 1965. At the time, many supporters were surprised by this change, as Alan Smith was definitely superior in the air. Nevertheless, none of the 20,000 spectators at that match would deny that Bettany was the best defender who ever wore a Torquay United shirt, or who ever will.
After Bettany's departure, Alan Smith played alongside Reg Wyatt and then Ken Brown as a double centre-back, and acquitted himself really well. His career sadly came to an end when he suffered a severe injury in a match at Bournemouth in 1968, from which he never recovered sufficiently to resume his professional career.
My memories are of a great Torquay United defender heading and tackling as though his life depended on it. My thoughts are definitely with his family and friends in their time of loss of a wonderful man.
Alan Smith was signed as a centre half from a non-league club near Liverpool in 1957, and had to wait four seasons before claiming a regular first team place, owing to the fact that George Northcott held down the centre half position during that period. George was supreme in the air but lacked pace and tactical awareness, so it was no surprise that he gave way to Alan in the 1961/62 season.
Alan Smith was a fair player but was also as hard as nails, as many opposing centre forwards realised when tackled by him. My personal idol as a teenager was Bill Foulkes of Manchester United, and Alan had all of his attributes at a relative level, namely dominant in the air and the tackle, and opponents seemed to bounce off him. Not the greatest distributor of the ball, agreed, but that didn't seem to matter in an era when passing to keep possession had not even been considered. Get it down the other end was the watchword of the day, so the forwards can have a chance of scoring.
Alan Smith played in all positions across the back four, but in 1964 he was suddenly switched with Colin Bettany, who had spent five of the previous seasons at right back, and that was how they lined up in the famous FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur in January 1965. At the time, many supporters were surprised by this change, as Alan Smith was definitely superior in the air. Nevertheless, none of the 20,000 spectators at that match would deny that Bettany was the best defender who ever wore a Torquay United shirt, or who ever will.
After Bettany's departure, Alan Smith played alongside Reg Wyatt and then Ken Brown as a double centre-back, and acquitted himself really well. His career sadly came to an end when he suffered a severe injury in a match at Bournemouth in 1968, from which he never recovered sufficiently to resume his professional career.
My memories are of a great Torquay United defender heading and tackling as though his life depended on it. My thoughts are definitely with his family and friends in their time of loss of a wonderful man.
