SMITH FACTFILE

Born: West Bromwich, 1971 (Age 42) Playing career: A centre-back, Smith joined Walsall as a teenager and made his debut aged 18, suf fering relegation to Division Four in his first season. Made captain shortly afterwards, he skippered the side to the play-offs in 1992-93 but they suf fered a 9-2 defeat to Crewe in the semis and Smith left to join Hereford for a club-record £80,000 in 1994. There, he scored 19 goals in 117 games and r eached the Third Division play-offs, losing to Darlington. After relegation from the Football League in 1997, Smith signed for Leyton Orient, skippering the O’s to a Wembley play- off final defeat against Scunthorpe in 1999 and another – this time at Car diff – in 2001. Smith eventually left Orient to join Shef field Wednesday in 2003, suffering relegation to the third tier in his first half-season. After 55 appearances for the Owls, mainly as captain, he joined Port V ale in 2004, but played just 13 times before accepting an offer to coach Orient’s youth team in January 2005. Managerial career: Smith spent just a few months as youth team coach before being promoted to assistant by manager Martin Ling, helping his former team-mate clinch pr omotion to League One the following season. He then completed his UEFA Pro Licence in 2008, but left Brisbane Road along with Ling in 2009, becoming head of youth at first club Walsall. car etaker In 2011, after the sacking of Chris Hutchings, Smith became manager and recoded his first win with a 6-1 thrashing of Bristol Rovers. Named permanent manager soon after, he steered Walsall to safety in his first season and in 2012-13 finished ninth, six points outside the play-offs.