David Smallman, born 22 March,1953, Connah’s Quay, Wales.
PART ONE
David Smallman signed professional forms with Wrexham on 1 May 1971, beginning a spell with the club he had supported and represented as a youngster. Wrexham were competing in the Third Division and possessed a squad containing experienced professionals, which meant there was no immediate route into the senior side for an eighteen-year-old forward. Instead, Smallman spent his first months learning his trade in youth and reserve football, developing the pace, movement and finishing ability that would later become the strongest parts of his game. Coaches quickly recognised that he possessed a natural instinct around goal and an eagerness to run at defenders whenever space appeared, attributes that helped him move steadily through the club’s ranks as the 1971-72 season progressed and the opening months of the following campaign approached.
The breakthrough arrived during the 1972-73 season. On 5 September 1972, Smallman made his senior debut as a substitute in a League Cup second-round defeat against Middlesbrough. Although the result itself brought little satisfaction, the appearance represented an important step for a local player attempting to establish himself in professional football. Four days later he received his full league debut against Bristol Rovers and began the process of adapting to regular first-team football. Reserve matches provided valuable experience, but league football presented different challenges altogether, with defenders stronger, quicker and considerably more ruthless in punishing mistakes. Smallman responded well to those demands. As the season unfolded he became increasingly comfortable at senior level and gradually convinced the coaching staff that he possessed the qualities required to become a regular member of the side rather than a promising reserve-team prospect.
Throughout the remainder of the campaign he continued collecting appearances and experience while learning the finer details of leading the line in the Third Division. Wrexham supporters watching him week after week saw a player whose game relied less on physical dominance and more on anticipation, intelligent movement and quick reactions inside the penalty area. Standing 5ft 9½in, he was shorter than many centre-forwards operating in the English game during that period, yet his height rarely became a significant disadvantage because he compensated with pace and sharpness. By the end of the season he had established himself as an increasingly important attacking option and entered the summer of 1973 with expectations growing around what he might achieve if given a full campaign in the first team.
Those expectations were justified during the 1973-74 season, the year in which Smallman developed from a promising young forward into one of Wrexham’s most important players. Goals began arriving with greater frequency and confidence followed naturally. Defenders who had previously regarded him as an inexperienced youngster now faced a striker capable of punishing the slightest lapse in concentration. Wrexham enjoyed a respectable season in the Third Division and finished comfortably in mid-table, while Smallman’s contribution of sixteen goals in all competitions strengthened his position as one of the club’s leading attacking players. Yet while league football provided the foundation for his growing reputation, events in the FA Cup would ultimately bring both Wrexham and Smallman to a far wider audience.
The cup run began without great fanfare. Like many lower-division clubs, Wrexham entered the competition hoping to progress through the early rounds and perhaps earn a glamour tie against higher-level opposition. Few supporters could have anticipated what would follow over the coming months. Smallman featured in every match of the campaign and immediately made his presence felt in the second round when Wrexham defeated Rotherham United 3-0 at the Racecourse Ground. His goal helped secure passage into the next round and maintained momentum within a side beginning to believe it could cause problems for stronger opponents. The draw then handed Wrexham a daunting assignment away to First Division Crystal Palace in the third round, a fixture that appeared heavily weighted in favour of the South London club.
Crystal Palace entered the match expecting to avoid an upset, but the Red Dragons approached the tie with confidence and discipline. Rather than simply defending and hoping for an opportunity, they attacked with purpose whenever openings appeared. Smallman was central to those efforts and scored one of the goals in a memorable 2-0 victory at Selhurst Park. The result immediately transformed perceptions of the Welsh side. Newspapers across Britain reported the upset and attention increasingly focused on the young striker helping to lead Wrexham’s challenge. Scouts from bigger clubs were already monitoring his development, and performances against First Division opposition only strengthened the case for those who believed he was capable of playing at a higher level.
The fourth round brought another difficult test against Middlesbrough. Once again the match was closely contested and settled by the finest of margins. Smallman delivered the decisive moment, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory that carried Wrexham into the fifth round. Excitement around the club grew with every passing week. Attendances increased, optimism spread through the town and supporters began to imagine possibilities that would have seemed unrealistic only a few months earlier. Southampton awaited in the fifth round and represented another formidable challenge. Playing at The Dell against established First Division opposition, Wrexham again produced a disciplined display and once more Smallman supplied the crucial contribution. His goal secured a famous 1-0 victory and carried Wrexham into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history.
Four goals in the competition had placed Smallman firmly at the centre of the story. Each strike had come in a significant match and each had helped remove another obstacle from Wrexham’s path. By the time Burnley emerged as quarter-final opponents, the club had already achieved something unprecedented. The quarter-final itself ended in disappointment as Burnley secured a narrow 1-0 victory, bringing the run to an end, but neither the result nor the elimination diminished what Wrexham had accomplished. Reaching the last eight of the FA Cup represented one of the finest achievements in the club’s history, while Smallman’s performances throughout the campaign elevated his reputation enormously and increased interest from clubs operating at a higher level.
PART TWO
The publicity generated by the FA Cup run also helped bring international recognition. Wales manager Mike Smith selected Smallman for the national squad during the 1974 British Home Championship, rewarding the striker’s performances for Wrexham and offering him an opportunity to test himself at international level. His debut arrived at Wembley on 11 May 1974 against England. Wales were beaten 2-0, but Smallman gained his first cap after appearing as a substitute during the closing stages. Three days later he again featured from the bench in a 2-0 defeat against Scotland. Both matches provided valuable experience, yet his most memorable international moment was still to come.
Northern Ireland were Wales’ final opponents in the championship and the match took place at Swansea’s Vetch Field on 18 May 1974. Smallman played a decisive role, scoring in the 45th minute to secure a 1-0 victory. The goal proved to be the only one of his international football and remains one of the highlights of his time with Wales. For a player who had spent the previous few years fighting his way from reserve football into the Wrexham first team, scoring for his country represented another significant milestone. The achievement reflected how quickly his standing within the game had risen since making his debut less than two years earlier.
Back at club level, Smallman continued leading the Wrexham attack throughout the opening months of the 1974-75 season. Opposition defenders knew exactly what to expect from him by then, but stopping him remained a different matter altogether. His pace continued troubling back lines throughout the division and his finishing remained reliable whenever opportunities presented themselves. Wrexham were pushing towards the promotion positions and the club hoped to build upon the progress achieved during the previous campaign. At the same time, scouts from larger clubs became increasingly frequent visitors to Wrexham matches as speculation surrounding Smallman’s future intensified.
Everton eventually emerged as the club prepared to make the decisive move. The First Division side had followed his progress closely and believed he possessed the qualities necessary to strengthen their attacking options. In March 1975 they agreed a fee of £76,000 with Wrexham, establishing a club-record transfer and bringing an end to Smallman’s spell at the Racecourse Ground. The move represented a major step for the player and a significant financial boost for Wrexham. His final appearance for the club came in a Welsh Cup semi-final before he headed to Merseyside to begin the next phase of his football life. By the time he left, he had accumulated 125 competitive appearances and 51 goals, figures that underlined both his consistency and his importance to the side during a period that included one of the club’s most celebrated FA Cup campaigns.
The transfer to Everton brought a completely different environment. Expectations were higher, competition for places was stronger and every performance attracted greater scrutiny. Smallman made his league debut for Everton on 9 April 1975 in a 2-1 defeat away to Luton Town and quickly experienced the demands associated with First Division football. Encouraging signs appeared almost immediately. On his home debut he scored a spectacular overhead kick against Sheffield United, giving Everton supporters a glimpse of the ability that had persuaded the club to invest heavily in him. During the opening stages of the 1975-76 season he also formed an effective understanding with Bob Latchford, one of the most prolific goalscorers in English football at the time. Together they contributed eight goals in Everton’s opening eight matches, creating optimism that the Welsh striker was beginning to establish himself in the side.
Smallman added further encouragement by scoring Everton’s goal in a 1-1 draw away at Burnley, demonstrating that he could make an impact against established First Division opponents. Unfortunately, what appeared to be the beginning of a successful spell at Goodison Park gradually became a struggle against injuries. Problems began to accumulate and each setback delayed his progress further. A broken leg would have been serious enough in isolation, but further complications followed. Another broken leg, knee ligament damage, a torn hamstring, a dislocated shoulder and phlebitis in his calf combined to devastate his hopes of securing a regular place in the team. Long periods were spent recovering rather than playing, and each attempted comeback was followed by another interruption before meaningful momentum could be established.
The scale of the disruption becomes obvious when examining the figures. Between 1975 and 1979 Smallman made only twenty-one league appearances and scored six goals for Everton. Fifteen of those appearances came during the 1975-76 season, illustrating how little football he was able to play during the latter years of his contract. Reports from the period suggest that injuries effectively sidelined him for more than four years of his time at the club. Managers changed, squads evolved and opportunities became increasingly limited. Whenever he returned to fitness, he faced the challenge of regaining sharpness and competing with teammates who had remained available throughout the campaign. The circumstances would have tested any player, particularly one attempting to establish himself at the highest level of English football.
When his Everton contract expired during the summer of 1979, both player and club moved in different directions. The transfer that had promised so much in 1975 had been undermined by circumstances beyond anyone’s control. Smallman departed Goodison Park without ever receiving the sustained run of matches that might have allowed him to demonstrate fully what he could contribute in the First Division. His record showed flashes of quality, memorable goals and encouraging partnerships, but it also reflected years dominated by treatment tables and rehabilitation work rather than regular football.
PART THREE
Smallman’s departure from Everton during the summer of 1979 left him facing a situation very different from the one he had encountered four years earlier when he arrived on Merseyside as one of the most highly regarded young forwards in Welsh football. The injuries that had restricted him to only twenty-one league appearances and six goals had inevitably reduced his opportunities at the highest level, yet he remained determined to continue playing. His next stop was Oswestry Town during the 1979-80 season. The move was brief and no competitive appearances are recorded from his time there, but it allowed him to remain involved in football while assessing where the next opportunity might emerge. Although his years at Everton had been frustrating, he was still only in his mid-twenties and believed he could contribute if fitness finally allowed him a sustained period on the pitch.
A return to familiar surroundings followed in 1980 when Wrexham brought him back to the Racecourse Ground. Supporters who remembered the goals, the FA Cup exploits and the rapid rise through the club’s ranks welcomed the prospect of seeing him in red once more. The circumstances, however, were very different from those that existed when he had left in 1975. Smallman was now attempting to rebuild a playing career repeatedly interrupted by injury, and before he could force his way into the first-team picture another setback arrived. While playing reserve football he suffered a broken rib, a blow that effectively ended any realistic chance of re-establishing himself in the senior side. As a result he failed to make a single first-team appearance during the 1980-81 season, leaving supporters to wonder what might have happened had injuries not continued to follow him. The second spell therefore ended almost before it had begun, and another move soon became necessary.
Bangor City provided the next opportunity. Joining the club for the 1981-82 season in the Northern Premier League, Smallman immediately demonstrated that his instinct for scoring goals had not disappeared. Although his stay was short, it proved productive. Four appearances produced four goals and he played his part in Bangor’s successful title-winning campaign. The statistics alone reveal how effective he remained when physically capable of playing regularly. Even after years of injuries and interrupted seasons, he still possessed the movement and finishing ability that had made him such an important player for Wrexham earlier in the decade. Bangor supporters saw only a brief glimpse of those qualities, but it was enough to underline that there was still football left in him despite the physical problems that had dominated much of his time since leaving North Wales.
During 1982, Smallman made a decision that would take both his life and football in a completely different direction. He emigrated to Australia with his family and settled in Melbourne, Victoria. The move represented a major change from the professional environment he had known in Britain. Australian football in the early 1980s was structured around state competitions rather than a single national league, and many clubs were strongly connected to migrant communities that had established themselves throughout the country after the Second World War. Football often reflected those community identities, with clubs associated with Maltese, Greek, Italian, Yugoslavian and other European backgrounds competing in fiercely contested local rivalries. The atmosphere surrounding matches could be intense and passionate, creating a football culture very different from the one Smallman had experienced in England and Wales.
Green Gully became his new club. Based within Melbourne’s Maltese community, the side competed in the Victoria State League and offered Smallman an opportunity to continue playing while also building a life away from football. Unlike his years in Britain, the game was no longer his sole occupation. He worked regular jobs during the week, including employment at a Monsanto factory, before playing football at weekends. Reports from the period suggest he earned around fifty Australian dollars per match, a figure that highlighted the semi-professional nature of the competition. Yet the reduced financial rewards did not diminish the importance of football within the local communities that followed the game. Crowds remained enthusiastic and rivalries remained fierce, ensuring that standards were competitive despite the absence of a fully national structure.
Smallman adapted quickly to his new surroundings. Between 1982 and 1985 he made seventy-six appearances for Green Gully and scored twenty-eight goals, figures that established him as one of the club’s most influential players. His experience from the English Football League gave him an understanding of the game that proved valuable both on and off the pitch, while younger teammates benefited from playing alongside someone who had competed at a significantly higher level. He gradually assumed greater responsibility within the club and eventually took on the role of player-manager, a position that allowed him to influence matters beyond simply scoring goals. By that stage his football intelligence and experience were every bit as important as his contributions on the pitch.
The 1985 season became the outstanding year of his Australian football. Green Gully enjoyed remarkable success and Smallman played a central role throughout the campaign. The club secured a treble and did so in dramatic fashion. The league title remained undecided until the final match, where Smallman scored a last-minute winning goal that secured the championship. Such moments are rare in football, regardless of the level at which the game is played. Months of work, preparation and pressure were ultimately settled by one decisive contribution in the closing moments of a season. For a player who had endured so many frustrating years through injury, the satisfaction must have been considerable. He had travelled halfway around the world and now found himself leading a successful side to major honours.
Success continued in the cup final against Heidelberg. Played at Melbourne’s Olympic Stadium in front of a crowd reported to be around 25,000, the match became one of the most memorable occasions of Smallman’s time in Australia. Green Gully produced an outstanding display and won 5-0. Smallman captained the side, scored twice and supplied three assists, meaning he directly contributed to every goal scored by his team. The performance demonstrated that, even in his thirties and after years of physical setbacks, he remained capable of dominating important matches. It also cemented his status within Green Gully’s history, where his influence as both player and manager helped shape one of the club’s most successful periods.
Now, as it happened, changes occurred at Green Gully following the successful campaign and Jimmy Rooney arrived at the club. Differences soon emerged regarding football matters and the direction in which the Cavaliers should move. Rather than remain in an uncomfortable situation, Smallman chose to seek a fresh challenge elsewhere. His departure brought an end to a highly successful association with the Green Gully Reserve outfit, but it did not signal the end of his Australian football.
PART FOUR
Western Suburbs became David Smallman´s next destination during 1986. The club possessed strong links to Melbourne’s Greek community and provided another example of the multicultural environment that characterised Australian football during that era. Smallman continued contributing effectively despite advancing years and lingering physical issues. Across eighteen appearances he scored seven goals, maintaining a respectable return for a player who had already spent well over a decade in senior football. Later that same year he also appeared for a local side in Melton, further extending his involvement in the game and remaining active within the Victorian football scene.
By the time his Australian football drew towards its conclusion, Smallman had accumulated ninety-four appearances and thirty-five goals across his various clubs between 1982 and 1987. Those figures represented a significant contribution and demonstrated that the move abroad had provided him with opportunities that might not have been available had he remained in Britain. While his Everton years had largely been defined by treatment rooms and rehabilitation programmes, Australia offered something different: regular football, success on the pitch and the chance to combine playing with management responsibilities. The environment suited him and allowed him to enjoy some of the most productive years of his later playing life.
Smallman´s international football journey had unfolded alongside many of the events that transformed his club career. After scoring on his Wales debut campaign against Northern Ireland in May 1974, Smallman remained involved with the national side throughout the following year. On 16 April 1975 he appeared in Wales’ 2-1 defeat away to Hungary in a UEFA European Championship qualifier, gaining further experience at international level shortly after completing his move to Everton. A little over a month later he returned to British Home Championship action and featured in the 2-2 draw against England on 21 May 1975, again appearing from the bench. Two days later he started and completed the full ninety minutes in a 1-0 victory away to Northern Ireland, one of the strongest performances of his international football and a result that demonstrated Wales’ competitiveness during that period.
His final appearance for Wales arrived on 19 November 1975 in a UEFA European Championship qualifier against Austria. Wales secured a 1-0 victory and Smallman completed the full match. Few watching that evening would have predicted it would be his final international appearance. He was only twenty-three years old and had recently completed a move to a First Division club, circumstances that would normally suggest further opportunities lay ahead. Unfortunately, the injuries that soon disrupted his Everton football also affected his prospects with Wales. Long absences from club football inevitably made international selection more difficult and, despite earning seven caps and scoring once, he never added to that total. The timing was unfortunate because his rise at Wrexham had coincided with a period when Wales possessed several talented attacking players, including John Toshack, and there was every possibility that further appearances might have followed had fitness not become such a persistent problem.
When Smallman returned to Wales in 1988, he was thirty-five years old and approaching the end of his playing days. The years in Australia had allowed him to continue competing, scoring goals and enjoying success, but time eventually catches every footballer regardless of ability or determination. He made a handful of appearances for Colwyn Bay after returning home, providing one final glimpse of a player whose football had taken him from the Racecourse Ground to Goodison Park and then across the world to Melbourne. There would be no extended comeback and no further move elsewhere. His playing football ended after those appearances for Colwyn Bay, bringing to a close a career that had stretched across almost two decades.
The figures provide a useful summary of what he achieved. Wrexham supplied 125 competitive appearances and 51 goals, including four crucial strikes during the club’s famous 1973-74 FA Cup run to the quarter-finals. Wales brought seven international caps and a winning goal against Northern Ireland at Swansea’s Vetch Field. Everton produced six league goals during a period heavily disrupted by injuries. Bangor City delivered four goals in four appearances and a league title, while Australia added thirty-five goals, player-management experience and major honours with Green Gully. The numbers alone do not tell the whole story, but they record the path of a footballer who represented his hometown club, his country and several teams on opposite sides of the world before finally bringing his playing days to a close in Wales.