Sep Smith

Septimus 'Sep' Smith (15 March 1912 - 28 July 2006) was an English footballer who played in midfield. Born in Whitburn, County Durham in 1912, he was the seventh son born in his family, hence the name Septimus.

Sep spent his entire career at Leicester City, starting in 1929 and ending in 1949 after 586 first-team appearances. Two of his older brothers, Tom and Joe, were both already playing for Leicester. Tom was a regular in the first-team before moving to Manchester United and Joe was a reserve player who later joined Watford.

After making his debut in 1929, Sep went on to make 373 first-class appearances for Leicester, putting him in the clubs all-time top ten. But he lost seven seasons to World War II, during which time he made 213 appearances during regionalised wartime football. His tally of 586 appearances puts him second only behind Graham Cross.

He was seen as a gifted 'ball-player' who could manipulate the ball. He is considered as one of the greatest players to ever put on a Leicester shirt, and it surprises many that he only played once for England, against Ireland in Belfast in 1935. In the same year, he played in the Jubilee International against Scotland and also for the Football League against the Scottish Football League. His versatility led to his inclusion as travelling reserve for England on several occasions.

Sep came up against two other of his older brothers, Jack and Bill, who were both playing for Portsmouth in the 1934 FA Cup semi-final. Sep would end his career on the final fixture of the 1948-49 season, in which Leicester staved off relegation to the Third Division with a dramatic 1-1 draw with Cardiff City (there are still suggestions that the game may have been fixed). Sep retired from the game at the age of 37 after 20 years in the Leicester team. He had also been captain since 1936, the season in which he led the Foxes to the Second Division title, the only honour he ever achieved with the club.

Sep was the guest of honour at the last ever game at Filbert Street in April 2002, a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur. The ground had been Leicester's home since 1890. He was greeted with a warm standing ovation from the Leicester faithful.

Smith died on July 28 2006 [http://leicestercity.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=889&p=2&stid=8417486] at the age of 94, and there was a minute's silence held in his honour at City's Championship game with Burnley the Tuesday after his death. At the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving former England international.