Geoff Smith (footballer, born 1928)
Geoffrey "Geoff" Smith (14 March 1928 – 19 October 2013) was an English professional footballer who played 253 league games for Bradford City as a goalkeeper, including 200 consecutive appearances. When he retired, he held club records for the number of clean sheets in a season and total clean sheets.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Geoffrey Smith | ||
| Date of birth | 14 March 1928 | ||
| Place of birth | Cottingley, Bradford, England | ||
| Date of death | 19 October 2013 (aged 85) | ||
| Place of death | Keighley, England | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| St Anne's Church | |||
| Keighley Central Club | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Nelson | |||
| Rossendale United | |||
| 1952–1959 | Bradford City | 253 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Smith was born in Cottingley, Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, moved to nearby Keighley with his family before serving in Malaya in the British Army at the end of his teens. His first trial at Bradford City was unsuccessful but after playing amateur football for Lancashire Combination League sides Nelson and Rossendale United, he was signed by Bradford's new manager Ivor Powell in 1952. He was at Bradford City for seven seasons and played in every league game between the final match of the 1953–54 season and October 1958. He eventually retired in 1959. After his football career, Smith and his wife ran two different off-licences for the remainder of their working life.