Smyth’s scripts are simply best-sellers

BACK in 1986, Ian Botham returned to the England cricket team after a three-month drugs ban and with his first ball dismissed New Zealand’s Bruce Edgar to equal the then world record of 355 Test wickets.

Team-mate Graham Gooch, who took the catch, famously said to Beefy: “Who writes your scripts?”

Well, it may be more than three decades later, but QPR and Northern Ireland forward Paul Smyth also appears to have a scriptwriter with a sense for the dramatic.

Signed from Linfield last summer, few had even heard of him before he made a sensational entrance for QPR against Cardiff on New Year’s Day.

The pint-sized 20-year-old, making his Football League debut, burst through to fire home a 72nd-minute winner as the R’s shocked Neil Warnock’s promotionchasers.

All-action

But it wasn’t just the goal that immediately won over the Loftus Road faithful – it was the fact he turned in an allaction display before departing on 77 minutes after picking up a knock.

"It was probably one of the biggest risks I've ever taken,” reflected a delighted QPR boss Ian Holloways afterwards. "It could have gone horribly wrong, but it didn't. He was a breath of fresh air.”

Fast forward to last Saturday and Northern Ireland’s friendly against South Korea at Windsor Park.

Just 48 hours after playing the full 90 minutes for the U21s against Spain, Smyth was thrown on for his senior debut by manager Michael O’Neill with 82 minutes on the clock.

A mere four minutes later Smyth cracked home a low drive to earn his side a 2-1 victory. No wonder he was doing somersaults in celebration and had a huge smile all over his face.

Like Holloway, O’Neill is also a fully paid-up member of the Smyth fan club.

"He's still very small, he's still very light but he's got a huge heart for the game and we're delighted with him,” he said.

"His enthusiasm is infectious and the boys love him. He's a player with a big future, but he has to work hard."

Wise words, because we’ve all seen players burst on to the scene looking like the next big thing only to disappear just as quick.

Yet you get the feeling with Smyth that, providing he has a bit of luck injurywise, he will make the most of his talent.

I’ve got to be honest and say I’ve only seen him live once – in QPR’s 1-1 draw against Derby a few weeks ago.

But he certainly made a big impression. He was here, there and everywhere that night and showed flashes of real quality, too.

He would probably have preferred to play up front, but he did a great job on the right wing. His up-and-at‘em style and sheer determination was something to behold and it was clear the QPR fans have taken him to their heart. O’Neill said his ‘enthusiasm is infectious’ and that shines through. Let’s hope he stays that way as he develops his game and has to overcome different hurdles.

Right now he is on the way up, in a honeymoon period if you like, but the difficulty can be when expectation rises. Having spoken to him after that Derby game, I sensed he is a down-to-earth, level-headed lad with belief in his own ability.

Belief

And it’s a major plus that he has got fine managers in Holloway and O’Neill to guide him at club and international level. If there is a player that he reminds me a little of, I would say it’s someone who used to play for QPR’s neighbours, Brentford – namely, Stephen Hunt. I was working on the local paper, the Hounslow Chronicle, when Hunt started to make a name for himself. He was as busy as a bee, made a nuisance of himself and got up and down the left flank like nobody’s business. He went on to play in the Premier League for Reading, Hull and Wolves and earned 39 caps for the Republic of Ireland in a lengthy career. By comparison, Smyth is just setting out, but you get the feeling there could be plenty more chapters still to write. Over to you, Mr Scriptwriter…