Derek Smethurst

Derek Smethurst

Personal information
Date of birth	October 24, 1947 (1947-10-24) (age 64)
Place of birth	Durban, South Africa
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
	Glenwood
–	Berea Park
–	Addington,
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1966	Addington	4	(6)
1967-1968	Durban City F.C.	37	(23)
1968-1971	Chelsea	18	(5)
1971-1974	Millwall	71	(9)
1975-1978	Tampa Bay Rowdies	65	(57)
1978	San Diego Sockers	17	(2)
1979-1980	Seattle Sounders	30	(14)
1980-1981	Seattle Sounders (indoor)	11	(5)
1981-1982	Memphis Americans (indoor)	33	(35)
1982	Carolina Lightnin'	6	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Derek Smethurst (born October 24, 1947 in Durban) is a retired South African soccer forward who played professionally in South Africa, England and the United States.

Bio

Born into a sporting family, both his father Norman and brother Peter played professionally. Smethurst spent time with three amateur teams, Glenwood, Berea Park and Addington, in his early career. He began his professional career with Durban City F.C.^[1] In December 1968, he transferred to Chelsea F.C. He spent the remainder of the 1968-1969 and the entire 1969-1970 season with the Chelsea Reserves. Despite missing a large part of the 1969-1970 season with an injury, Smethurst still compiled 20 goals in 42 games with the reserves. He made his first team debut on September 1, 1970. Smethurst was the first South African to win a European championship when Chelsea won the 1970–71 European Cup Winners' Cup. He was the first foreign born player to win a European championship in England. Two games into the 1971-1972 season, Chelsea transferred Smethurst to Millwall F.C. for £35,000 at his request. He spent four seasons with Millwall. In 1975, Smethurst moved to the United States where he played for the newly established Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League, where he became their all time leading goal scorer with 57 goals in 65 games and a NASL all star. In 1978, he began the season with Tampa Bay, but in May 1978 at his own request, he was traded to the San Diego Sockers in exchange for Peter Andersen.^[2] He led the Tampa Bay Rowdies in goals scored for the three years he played with them. The Sockers traded him in July 1978.^[3] In 1979, he signed with the Seattle Sounders. He spent two outdoor and one NASL indoor seasons with the Sounders before moving to the Memphis Americans for the 1981-1982 Major Indoor Soccer League season. He scored a hat-trick for the Sounders in a home game against the Portland Timbers on June 30, 1979. Smethurst scored 75 goals in just over 100 games in the NASL. In the spring of 1982, he joined the Carolina Lightnin' of the American Soccer League, and after six games retired from outdoor football.^[4] Smethurst's goal scoring rate in professional first team football was an astonishing goal for every 1.85 games. Played in the "First" English League game to be played on a Sunday on his debut for Millwall v Fulham, 1971.

He also played in the 1977 NFL pre-season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a placekicker wearing jersey #3.

Now an accomplished author and sports consultant, Derek lives in Valrico, FL, and runs a professional soccer training academy (soccerforwinning.com).

Achievements

• First African to win a European Championship
• First South African to win a European Championship
• First foreign born player to win a European Championship in England
• First foreign player to score for Chelsea in a European Championship
• First foreign player to win a European Championship with Chelsea FC
• First foreign player to play in a European Championship Final for Chelsea
• First player to score 4 goals in one game for the Tampa Bay Rowdies - NASL
• First Seattle Sounder to score 3 goals in one game - NASL
• First Seattle Sounder to score 4 goals in one game - NASL
• First and only South African to score 3 goals in a Currie Cup Final in South Africa.

References

1. ^ Durban City F.C. profile
2. ^ Minnesota Gets its Kicks by Beating Rowdies
3. ^ Marsh: Rowdie Rambles
4. ^ Slickers Host To Carolina Problems Plague Defending ASL Champs The Daily Oklahoman - Friday, June 11, 1982

External links

• iol.co.za with story on Smethurst's interest to lead the Bafana Bafana for the 2010 World Cup
• valricoviper.net
• NASL/MISL stats
• Tampa Bay Rowdies profile

Persondata
Name	Smethurst, Derek
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	October 24, 1947
Place of birth	Durban, South Africa
Date of death
Place of death