Our topic of discussion today is the enthralling journey of one Matt Smith. This fine specimen of an English born football protégé graced this world with his presence on the 22nd of November, 1999. Currently a sprightly 25 years old, Smith holds down the fort as a central midfielder for St Johnstone. The lad, standing at an impressive 5ft 8in or 1.75m for those of you with a penchant for the metric scale, carries a respectable 11st 2lb (71kg) on his lean frame. The number "22" embellishes his St Johnstone jersey.
Now let's talk about the moola. Our dear Smith's financial worth, measured in appropriate footballing terms as market value, falls graciously into the area of £340k, as per the sleuths at Transfermarkt. Alas, all good things must come to an end, and dear Smith's contract with St Johnstone is set to tumble down the rabbit hole on 31 May 2025, with a mere three months left to its lifetime.
Let us now traipse through the meandering path of Smith's career, which kicked off as a fresh-faced trainee at power house Manchester City in the halcyon days of July 2013. The English boy with the big dreams then found himself gallivanting across the fields of Netherlands, as he was loaned to FC Twente in July 2018. In his debut season, Smith donned the prestigious Twente jersey 34 times and found the net on two occasions. What a chap!
The merry-go-round continued as he was loaned out yet again in 2019, this time to Queens Park Rangers. But alas, the joy was short-lived; showing his face only eight times amidst the rigours of Championship football. Unperturbed, Smith found himself packing his bags yet again in 2020, this time for the mighty ambiance of Charlton Athletic. A mere two appearances in League One was all it garnered.
After two loan stints to Doncaster Rovers and Hull City in 2020 and 2021 respectively, it was in January 2022 that the ever-wandering Smith finally found a semblance of a home. Leaving behind the giddy heights of Manchester City, he set up camp at MK Dons, the fee as elusive and undisclosed as his future career patterns. Here, he played a bit more, 21 times to be exact, and scored two goals while he was at it. Quite the goal-scoring machine!
And so the saga continues with Mr. Smith joining St Johnstone in August 2023, the Scottish spin of the globe finally claiming him. Two seasons down the line, he's already appeared thrice on the first team sheet and even managed to nudge the ball into the net once. Currently, in the 2024 - 2025 season, he’s done 20 league appearances and counting.
Seems like they've finally found some use for him in the League Cup 2024 - 2025, with four starts and one substitute appearance in his resume. Why, he might even be planning to settle down this time! Aye, in our dreams.
