380:"some six feet three in their socks and carrying plenty of weight with their inches. And they were not afraid to use their weight either, as some of us discovered. All in true sporting fashion, of course, for they were just as ready to take as to give hard knocks. Every man of them could run like a deer and before the game was over most of us were crying bellows to mend. Most of them were Corinthian stars and they played the Corinthian game. 'Twas a grand sight to see their forward line sweeping down the field, though probably our backs didn't think so."
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470:"had an intense admiration" for his England striking partner, and Bloomer himself remarked that, unlike the majority of amateurs of the day, Smith was invariably courteous to his professional teammates and social inferiors: "He was the finest type of amateur, one who would always shake hands with us professionals in a manner which said plainly he was pleased to meet them."
421:, Smith's professional colleague in several international matches, remarked that it was for this reason that he would rather play alongside Smith than any other centre-forward. The Dictionary of National Biography contends that he "transformed the role of the centre-forward from that of an individual striker into a unifier of the forward line, indeed the whole team."
485:
51:
342:, proved controversial and with the score standing at 1–1 after 90 minutes, the professional side declined to play extra time because they had disagreed with several of the referee's decisions. Smith also scored the winning goal in Corinthians' memorable 2–1 Charity Shield win against the professionals of
429:
in a period in which body-checking and other rough tactics were considered fair play. He was also noted for his reluctance to head the ball, stating that he would be happy to see the practice banned. "G.O." atoned for these deficiencies by positioning himself intelligently and by shooting accurately,
322:
and one not only renowned for its promotion of the ideals of sportsmanship and fair play, but also fully capable of meeting the best professional teams of the day on equal terms. Smith's scoring record for the club – 132 goals in 137 matches – remains one of the best strike rates in the history of
424:
Physically, Smith seemed unprepossessing. Though standing nearly 5 feet 11 inches, a good height for the day, he was of slight build, suffered from asthma and lacked the obvious brawn that had characterised predecessors in the
England team such as
438:
By the time of his retirement, Smith was perhaps the most admired figure in the
English game, familiarly known to several generations of schoolboys simply by his initials at a time when only one other sportsman – the cricketer
274:, one of the principal nurseries of the Association Football game, and learned many of the skills that subsequently brought him fame while boarding at the school. He went on to study at
699:. He batted right-handed. showing excellent timing with his drives and cutting beautifully, bowled reasonably well, and fielded at cover point. In the field he moved – his obituary in
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team on at least 13, and possibly as many as 16, occasions (early records are inexact) between 1896 and 1901, winning at least eight games, possibly as many as ten, and drawing two.
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448:
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He made a total of 20 appearances for
England (scoring 11 goals), between 1893 and 1901. Some authorities, including the author of the article on Smith published in the
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His most productive game in an
England shirt came in February 1899, when he netted three times in only five minutes and four times in all during the 13–2 demolition of
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G.O. Smith was renowned throughout his playing career for his exceptional balance and timing, and was further noted for his close control of the ball.
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In his youth, G.O. Smith was also a noted cricketer, representing Oxford
University and scoring a match-winning 132 runs in the fourth innings of the
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458:"G.O." was, according to contemporaries, unusually popular among professional footballers who were generally wary of the leading amateurs.
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fixture, a competition created to match the best professional and amateur teams in
Britain. The match, played in 1898 against
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the game, equating to one goal for every 93 minutes played. From 1898 to 1902 Smith would also serve (jointly with
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Unlike the majority of centre-forwards of the day, Smith also excelled at passing. "He was," his obituary in
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but the son of a
Scottish merchant who settled in India, Smith played football for
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Sir
Frederick Wall (1935). "50 Years of Football 1884–1934 ". Soccer Books.
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In the course of his club career, Smith captained
Corinthians in the first
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940:"False nine: ancient tactical curveball still retains the power to shock"
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contended, "a maker rather than a scorer of goals and football writer
30:"Gilbert Smith" redirects here. For the Small Heath right-back, see
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wrote that he was "a man without petty pride". Wall recalled that
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wrote of the Smith-led, all-amateur
England forward line of 1895,
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International Federation of Football History & Statistics
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was even more impressive, with 42 goals in 29 appearances.
243:(25 November 1872 – 6 December 1943), familiarly known as
965:
Steve Bloomer: The Story of Football's First Superstar
327:) as the Secretary of Corinthians. His record for the
703:noted – "gracefully with quickness in all he did."
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372:"Fine fellows they were," the great Welsh player
318:, then the best-known amateur football club in
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1026:Association Football and the Men Who Made It
713:List of English cricket and football players
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43:
1024:William Gibson and Alfred Pickford (1906).
411:described him as "what we would now term a
234:*Club domestic league appearances and goals
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270:Smith was educated, from 1886 to 1892, at
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1033:Football Wizard: The Billy Meredith Story
290:from 1901 until 1934. He was unmarried.
1103:England men's international footballers
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1138:People educated at Charterhouse School
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832:Annals of the Corinthian Football Club
807:Annals of the Corinthian Football Club
1040:Vivian Woodward: Football's Gentleman
286:, jointly with footballing colleague
32:Gilbert Smith (footballer, born 1869)
7:
938:Wilson, Jonathan (24 January 2019).
462:, the long-serving Secretary of the
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1158:Men's association football forwards
1163:English people of Scottish descent
855:"England Captains – Gilbert Smith"
25:
1128:Oxford University A.F.C. players
908:Dictionary of National Biography
737:Profile at Spartacus Educational
386:Dictionary of National Biography
336:Sheriff of London Charity Shield
27:English footballer and cricketer
1143:Alumni of Keble College, Oxford
883:. englandfc.com. Archived from
36:Gilbert Smith (disambiguation)
1:
451:, a scholarly group based in
1153:Old Carthusians F.C. players
1118:Oxford University cricketers
1042:. Stroud: Tempus Publishing.
768:"Ludgrove School – History"
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924:"G.O. Smith". Obituary in
835:. Longmans, Green & Co
810:. Longmans, Green & Co
794:, Scots Football Worldwide
557:Domestic team information
29:
1123:English men's footballers
1011:Retrieved 24 October 2012
857:. England Football Online
757:Retrieved 24 October 2012
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755:Cricket archive-GO Smith
695:to win the game against
34:. For other people, see
1133:Corinthian F.C. players
1035:. London: Robson Books.
1009:Smith's Wisden obituary
967:. Derby: Breedon Books.
742:7 December 2010 at the
1038:Norman Jacobs (2005).
881:England Player Profile
829:Corbett, B.O. (1906).
804:Corbett, B.O. (1906).
1031:John Harding (1998).
963:Peter Seddon (1999).
276:Keble College, Oxford
1055:at Englandstats.com
911:. Oxford University.
532:, Hampshire, England
492:Personal information
464:Football Association
358:Smith captained the
354:International career
241:Gilbert Oswald Smith
211:International career
115:, Hampshire, England
66:Gilbert Oswald Smith
58:Personal information
44:Gilbert Oswald Smith
1098:People from Croydon
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427:W.N. "Nuts" Cobbold
272:Charterhouse School
257:first-class cricket
45:
1108:English cricketers
887:on 24 October 2012
693:1896 Varsity Match
460:Sir Frederick Wall
350:in November 1900.
1113:Surrey cricketers
1028:. London: Caxton.
990:Missing or empty
928:, 7 December 1943
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596:Career statistics
576:Oxford University
513:, Surrey, England
304:Oxford University
261:Oxford University
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1019:Bibliography
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947:. Retrieved
944:The Guardian
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889:. Retrieved
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524:(1943-12-06)
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1088:1943 deaths
1083:1872 births
1064:G. O. Smith
949:18 November
839:14 November
814:14 November
777:14 November
623:Runs scored
609:First-class
605:Competition
551:fast medium
344:Aston Villa
316:Corinthians
294:Club career
245:G. O. Smith
167:Corinthians
120:Position(s)
1077:Categories
992:|url=
792:G.O. Smith
719:References
549:Right-arm
503:1872-11-25
441:W.G. Grace
434:Reputation
413:false nine
346:played at
280:headmaster
77:1872-11-15
18:G.O. Smith
1066: at
926:The Times
697:Cambridge
659:stumpings
649:Top score
571:1893–1896
530:Lymington
453:Wiesbaden
405:The Times
392:in 1901.
312:Cambridge
217:1893–1901
162:1892-1903
113:Lymington
63:Full name
1053:GO Smith
983:cite web
740:Archived
707:See also
677:Source:
657:Catches/
641:100s/50s
298:Born in
891:3 March
615:Matches
546:Bowling
538:Batting
511:Croydon
390:Germany
367:Ireland
360:England
329:Casuals
320:Britain
300:Croydon
222:England
182:Casuals
124:Forward
90:Croydon
861:4 June
701:Wisden
586:Surrey
265:Surrey
636:29.32
562:Years
249:G. O.
205:(174)
194:Total
174:(132)
135:Years
996:help
951:2020
893:2013
863:2012
841:2020
816:2020
779:2020
663:11/–
582:1896
565:Team
519:Died
497:Born
263:and
259:for
229:(11)
189:(42)
145:Apps
139:Team
652:132
644:1/4
626:778
415:".
282:of
251:or
200:166
171:137
153:Gls
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