Playing position Height 1.8 m | Number 24 Years Team Weight 70 kg | |
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Date of birth (1996-04-03) 3 April 1996 (age 20) Current team Port Vale F.C. (#24 / Defender) | ||
Nathan Smith (born 3 April 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League One side Port Vale.
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He turned professional at Port Vale in June 2014, and spent the 2014–15 season on loan at Stafford Rangers and the 2015–16 season on loan at Torquay United, winning the Player of the season award at Torquay.
Playing career
Smith attended Madeley High School and played for Madeley White Star; he helped his school to win the Sentinel Schools' Shield at Vale Park in 2012. He signed a one-year professional contract with Port Vale in June 2014. He was loaned out to Northern Premier League Division One South club Stafford Rangers in October 2014. The loan was later extended until the end of the 2014–15 season.
He joined National League side Torquay United on an initial three-month loan deal in July 2015. He impressed for the "Gulls" and the loan was later extended to cover the whole of the 2015–16 season. He made a total of 44 appearances at Plainmoor and was voted the club's Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season. Manager Kevin Nicholson described him as a "freak of nature".
He made his League One debut for Port Vale on the opening day of the 2016–17 season, in a 0–0 draw with Bradford City on 6 August. His performance saw him named in the Football League Paper's League One Team of the Day. New manager Bruno Ribeiro had described him as the club's standout player during pre-season. He scored his first goal in the Football League on 16 August, with his header proving to be the only goal of the game against Rochdale. His performances saw him nominated for the League One Player of the Month award for August. This led chairman Norman Smurthwaite to open negotiations for a new contract as he admitted Smith was "on a boy's wage compared to the rest of the squad" and Smurthwaite anticipated offers for the player from Championship clubs in the January transfer window. Smith quickly agreed to a new contract to keep him at the club until June 2020. The Football League further recognized his performances by naming him as Young Player of the Month for August. Speaking in February 2017, caretaker manager Michael Brown said that Smith set a good example to his teammates by playing through a hamstring injury.
Style of play
Speaking in August 2016, former Port Vale teammate Tom Pope described Smith as "brave as a lion" and a player who trained hard.