BLUEBIRDS: WE WILL DO IT FOR YOU, SINBAD!
CARDIFF City goalkeeper Alex Smithies is aiming for promotion – as a fitting tribute to his former Huddersfield team-mate Jordan Sinnott.
Sinnott – who was also close friends with Cardiff striker Danny Ward – died after being attacked on a night out in Retford, Nottinghamshire, in January.
Ward revealed a shirt bearing the former Matlock Town midfielder’s name and number following his late winner at Bristol City last weekend, a result which boosted the Bluebirds’ Championship play-off prospects.
And former QPR keeper Smithies admits winning promotion would be a fitting gesture to the man nicknamed Sinbad.
“We hope this season could be one we look back on and say we really paid tribute to him there,” the 30-year-old told BBC Sport Wales.
“Sometimes you don’t know how you’re going to get through games and your mind is elsewhere. But I think the distraction of football, and being around team-mates, such as Wardy, helped.
“It’s been tough for Dan; me and Jordan were both best men at Danny’s wedding last summer. He was such a thoughtful person and he would have wanted us to continue and go on to have successful careers.”
Smithies and Ward had been involved in collating shirts with Sinnott’s name on from clubs from all corners of football.
“It’s something that spiralled really,” added Smithies. “It started off when the family asked us to get hold of shirts from all of his previous teams and, before you knew it, we had around a thousand shirts.
“They were all on show at his funeral – it was astonishing to see them all together.”