 |
Rob Moschetti recently interviewed the Under 20s Eastern Lions coach Steve Smith who had an incredible football life as a striker. He has played fully professional soccer in England, South Africa, Finland and Australia. We have so many ex legend footballers at our club who can pass on to our players what success looks like at a professional level.
Rob: Steve thanks for joining me.
Steve: No dramas at all.
Rob: You grew up in the UK at what age did you start playing football?
Steve: I grew up near Birmingham and from as long as I remember I played football. We lived next to a park and I spent 90% of my time playing football with neighbours and kids in the area.
Rob: What age did you start playing club football and for whom?
Steve: I began in the under 11s for a local side by the name of Peterbrook. I stayed there until under 15s then I went to a side called Solihull Borough who merged with another side and became Solihull Moors where I played for 2 years.
Rob: Where to next?
Steve: I went to a club called Bromsgrove Rovers in the Southern League. I was 16 and played seniors and became semi-professional. I was paid 30 pounds a win with a 3 pound bonus for a win and a 2 pound further bonus for each goal. I often walked away with 35 pounds which was far more than I was paid as an apprentice engineer. I did ok there and started to attract some attention with a number of scouts at games.
Rob: Were you aware that you were in a position where some big things were about to happen?
Steve: I was still very young and loved playing the game and made so many friends. Team sport is where you meet friends, some of whom are friends for life.
Rob: Steve this journey is warming up what happened from Bromsgrove Rovers?
Steve: I trialled at Aston Villa, Sheffield Utd, Birmingham City, Wolves, Dundee Utd and Everton and a scout from Arsenal watched me a number of times. One day I scored 5 goals when the scout was watching and that still wasn’t enough. I eventually signed for Walsall who were then in 3rd Division who paid Bromsgrove 10,000 pounds which in 1980 was a healthy sum. I played there for 2 seasons but injured my knee in the 2nd year so started looking overseas.
Rob: Did you move to Australia at that point?
Steve: No I actually went to South Africa for a year and played for a side called Witz in the Johannesburg area.
Rob: Any stories from South Africa?
Steve: There is one that sticks in my mind. It was very early 80s and apartheid was huge in South Africa. The team I played for was a mixed team and we played a game against an all coloured team in Sowetto in front of 35,000 Sowetto supporters. The referee red carded Sowetto’s best player and the crowd went berserk. The fences were topped with barbed wire and the crowd wanted to push down the fence and get to the referee. The crowd rioted and pushed the fence over. The players tunnel was at the other end of the ground and all our players made for the change rooms. This was at 5pm and almost dark. We were still in the rooms at 7pm with the locals banging on the doors. The police arrived ready to help us to the bus. They stood in 2 rows facing the crowd and started shooting into the air while we sprinted to the bus. That was a scary day.
Rob: Wow! Was it then to Australia?
Steve: No I went to Finland for a year which I loved. There is something with Finland and me as I work for a Finnish company and spend time there again now however I always fancied Australia. I wrote to a number of clubs and found my way to Box Hill where I scored 23 goals in my one and only season then was picked up by Preston Macedonia in the National League where I was striker for the next 8 seasons.
Rob: Did you finish your career with Preston Macedonia?
Steve: No I was recruited by Brunswick Juventus who were in the State League wanting to desperately get to the National League. We made the National League the next year and I was having knee troubles. My last game was in Sydney against Marconi where a defender rolled over the top of me and broke my ankle. That was it done for me.
Rob: Steve you have had an incredible journey playing in 4 countries at a very high level, scoring goals everywhere you have been. Appreciate you sharing your stories with me.
Steve: Pleasure Rob.
|
D.O.B:
16/03/1963
Born:
Birmingham
|