THERE’S THAT SCENE in Miracle, the film about the United States’ ice-hockey team’s remarkable victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, where Herb Brooks, the side’s coach, lacerates his players after a below-par performance in a warm-up game.
“You think you can win on talent alone? Gentlemen, you don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone.”
Ultimately, their subsequent success is a result of relentless grind, slog and effort. They stay the course, put in the hard yards and reap the rewards.
Connor Smith knows all about that.
The Westmeath native was just 16 when he sent in an application for a Sky One reality television show called Football’s Next Star. Thousands of teenagers across the UK and Ireland did likewise. The prize for the winner was a professional contract with Inter Milan.
Smith, then a striker, was selected as one of the 10 players who travelled to Italy and got to impress the Inter coaches up close. Each week, one player was cut.
Unassuming, Smith was a favourite of the Inter staff, who felt his temperament and maturity marked him as special. He made the final two, alongside left-winger Ben Greenhalgh.
“It’s not only down to what happens on the pitch,” Smith said at the time.
“It’s off the pitch as well. You have to have the right attitude.”
The grand finale was TV-friendly stuff.
The pair trained with the Inter first-team and played a practice game against the likes of Patrick Vieira, Marco Materazzi and Ricardo Quaresma. Nervous beforehand, Smith didn’t see much of the ball. Afterwards, the Inter coaches made their decision and handed Greenhalgh the contract.
Ruthless, certainly, but Smith’s attitude wasn’t affected by the setback and he joined Watford just a few months later.
Tonight, he’ll be a part of the Yeovil team that welcomes Manchester United to Huish Park in their FA Cup Fourth Round tie.
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It’s been an unconventional route but Smith continues to live his boyhood dream and is quick to point out how important the TV show was to his career.
“It’s a weird one,” he admits.
When all that came around, it was just me and a pal and we saw the ad on TV and just went for it as a laugh, not thinking we’d get anywhere. But it all stems from that, really. There was a link between that and getting signed by Watford. It’s been a bit of a mad journey but it has all really come from that.”
Yeovil is Smith’s fourth professional club while he’s also represented the Republic of Ireland at a variety of underage levels.
From the group of youngsters that took part in Football’s Next Star, only Smith remains a pro.
Greenhalgh is with Concord Rangers in the Conference South and is a PGA golfer now. His time in Italy was brief and he returned to the lower leagues in England. A stint with Inverness didn’t amount to much and he seems intent on pursuing other passions.
It’s worked out differently for Smith, who turns 25 next month.
At Watford he developed into a solid midfielder. It was Gianfranco Zola who handed him a debut in August 2012 and he made a first start just a few months later. He featured quite a few times under the Italian but when Zola was sacked in December 2013 and replaced by Giuseppe Sannino, his future was unclear.
Smith pictured in action for Watford in 2015. Dave Thompson
Dave Thompson
Smith went on loan to Gillingham until the end of the season but when he returned, there was another new manager at Vicarage Road. But, Oscar Garcia stepped down after just 27 days in charge because of health problems and Billy McKinlay took over. Infamously, he was replaced after eight days and Slavisa Jokanovic arrived. The club was embroiled in absolute chaos and players like Smith were just collateral damage.
There was one more Watford appearance in a League Cup loss to Preston before he joined League Two side Wimbledon in January 2016. Just a few months later, Smith was starting at Wembley as the Dons beat Plymouth in the play-off final.
But he never got to make the step up because negotiations on a new deal stalled and, bizarrely, just five weeks after getting the better of them in a high-profile decider, Smith joined Plymouth.
The highlight of his time there came in January of last year: an FA Cup clash with Liverpool. For a boyhood Reds fan, it was special. As was the scoreless draw.
Something similar would do very nicely against Jose Mourinho’s side.
Smith (left) dives in to challenge Plymouth's Graham Carey. Andrew Matthews
Andrew Matthews
“Being a Liverpool fan all my life, getting the chance to play at Anfield was unbelievable,” he says.
It was my Communion day when Liverpool beat Arsenal 2-1 and Michael Owen scored twice and they came from a goal down. That was my first memory as a young lad but then there was Steven Gerrard’s goal against West Ham – that’s another huge memory. I used to love watching the FA Cup growing up. We’d have a few pals over and at half-time you’d go out and charge around the garden pretending you were some of the players.
“I was a striker as a kid so I loved Owen and Robbie Fowler. When Torres arrived he was unbelievable. But when I started to play more in midfield you start to watch the position more closely. So Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano – they were all heroes. It’s near enough impossible to emulate players like that but that’s what you aspire to.
The FA Cup is such a huge competition to play in. When you were watching these games, you never thought you’d get to play in them yourself. So to do it is massive. It was just a great occasion at Anfield and I’m sure the United game will be something similar. When I was growing up it was mainly Liverpool and United fans so I’d get a bit of stick from the United boys because they were winning everything. So there’s a bit of banter with them now. ‘You better not do us’ and that type of stuff which is a good laugh. There was always that rivalry growing up and it carries on now. To play against United is incredible.”
The Cup has been kind to Smith and ensured some standout memories. Three years ago, there was a Third Round trip to Stamford Bridge with Watford. He didn’t feature but still managed to snag Nemanja Matic’s shirt at full-time.
Chelsea, Liverpool and now Manchester United over the last few seasons. Not a bad return.
The competition still retains a romance for lower-league sides. It’s a moment in the spotlight and a reward for the unforgiving and largely under-appreciated toil. Most importantly, particularly when high-profile teams come and visit, there’s always the possibility of a shock.
Tim Goode
Tim Goode
United were already caught this season, suffering an embarrassing defeat to Bristol City in the League Cup back in December.
“For some teams, they might play their second-string or rest a few players nowadays,” Smith says.
But for us lower-league teams, we go into the competition trying to win every game and get as much of a run going as we can and we take it so seriously. You want United to play their big players but if they don’t you start thinking, ‘Hang on, maybe we can get a result’. If they come with all their big-hitters like Pogba and Lukaku, you’re delighted to play against players like that. And if they rest them then you might think you have a chance of getting a scalp. But there are so many possibilities. If we get a draw then we get to go to Old Trafford. These are opportunities that many players don’t get to have in their career and now I’ve had two in two seasons.”
Smith moved to Yeovil last summer and is enjoying his football. But the club have struggled in the league, winning just two of their last 12 games and sitting seven points from the bottom of the table. But they’ve flourished in other competitions. Outside of the FA Cup, there’s also the Football League Trophy. They’ve racked up impressive wins against Plymouth, Exeter and Wimbledon and will face Fleetwood in a quarter-final clash next month.
“In league games we seem to be getting in good positions and letting leads slip,” Smith says.
“But in cup competitions, we’ve done well and especially at home. It’s a one-off in the cup. We’ve beat three or four League One teams in competitions this season and you know going into it that anything can happen. So, maybe it’s a different mentality. When you come up against bigger teams, the pressure is on them so you can go and express yourself a bit more, maybe.”
It’s an odd situation for Yeovil and their players. On one hand, the objective is to get some momentum going in League Two and avoid a late-season scrap for survival. But on the other, putting everything into attaining a big result could ensure a massive financial windfall.
“It’s hard not to think about it,” Smith admits.
“The bread and butter of our season is the league. Those games are the most important and you’ve got to concentrate on that. But it is tough when such a big occasion is coming up.”
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):
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Years after his reality TV show setback, another FA Cup dream awaits Westmeath's Connor Smith
LAST UPDATE | 26 Jan 2018
THERE’S THAT SCENE in Miracle, the film about the United States’ ice-hockey team’s remarkable victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, where Herb Brooks, the side’s coach, lacerates his players after a below-par performance in a warm-up game.
“You think you can win on talent alone? Gentlemen, you don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone.”
Ultimately, their subsequent success is a result of relentless grind, slog and effort. They stay the course, put in the hard yards and reap the rewards.
Connor Smith knows all about that.
The Westmeath native was just 16 when he sent in an application for a Sky One reality television show called Football’s Next Star. Thousands of teenagers across the UK and Ireland did likewise. The prize for the winner was a professional contract with Inter Milan.
Smith, then a striker, was selected as one of the 10 players who travelled to Italy and got to impress the Inter coaches up close. Each week, one player was cut.
Unassuming, Smith was a favourite of the Inter staff, who felt his temperament and maturity marked him as special. He made the final two, alongside left-winger Ben Greenhalgh.
“It’s not only down to what happens on the pitch,” Smith said at the time.
“It’s off the pitch as well. You have to have the right attitude.”
The grand finale was TV-friendly stuff.
The pair trained with the Inter first-team and played a practice game against the likes of Patrick Vieira, Marco Materazzi and Ricardo Quaresma. Nervous beforehand, Smith didn’t see much of the ball. Afterwards, the Inter coaches made their decision and handed Greenhalgh the contract.
Ruthless, certainly, but Smith’s attitude wasn’t affected by the setback and he joined Watford just a few months later.
Tonight, he’ll be a part of the Yeovil team that welcomes Manchester United to Huish Park in their FA Cup Fourth Round tie.
It’s been an unconventional route but Smith continues to live his boyhood dream and is quick to point out how important the TV show was to his career.
“It’s a weird one,” he admits.
Yeovil is Smith’s fourth professional club while he’s also represented the Republic of Ireland at a variety of underage levels.
From the group of youngsters that took part in Football’s Next Star, only Smith remains a pro.
Greenhalgh is with Concord Rangers in the Conference South and is a PGA golfer now. His time in Italy was brief and he returned to the lower leagues in England. A stint with Inverness didn’t amount to much and he seems intent on pursuing other passions.
It’s worked out differently for Smith, who turns 25 next month.
At Watford he developed into a solid midfielder. It was Gianfranco Zola who handed him a debut in August 2012 and he made a first start just a few months later. He featured quite a few times under the Italian but when Zola was sacked in December 2013 and replaced by Giuseppe Sannino, his future was unclear.
Smith went on loan to Gillingham until the end of the season but when he returned, there was another new manager at Vicarage Road. But, Oscar Garcia stepped down after just 27 days in charge because of health problems and Billy McKinlay took over. Infamously, he was replaced after eight days and Slavisa Jokanovic arrived. The club was embroiled in absolute chaos and players like Smith were just collateral damage.
There was one more Watford appearance in a League Cup loss to Preston before he joined League Two side Wimbledon in January 2016. Just a few months later, Smith was starting at Wembley as the Dons beat Plymouth in the play-off final.
But he never got to make the step up because negotiations on a new deal stalled and, bizarrely, just five weeks after getting the better of them in a high-profile decider, Smith joined Plymouth.
The highlight of his time there came in January of last year: an FA Cup clash with Liverpool. For a boyhood Reds fan, it was special. As was the scoreless draw.
Something similar would do very nicely against Jose Mourinho’s side.
“Being a Liverpool fan all my life, getting the chance to play at Anfield was unbelievable,” he says.
“I was a striker as a kid so I loved Owen and Robbie Fowler. When Torres arrived he was unbelievable. But when I started to play more in midfield you start to watch the position more closely. So Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano – they were all heroes. It’s near enough impossible to emulate players like that but that’s what you aspire to.
The FA Cup is such a huge competition to play in. When you were watching these games, you never thought you’d get to play in them yourself. So to do it is massive. It was just a great occasion at Anfield and I’m sure the United game will be something similar. When I was growing up it was mainly Liverpool and United fans so I’d get a bit of stick from the United boys because they were winning everything. So there’s a bit of banter with them now. ‘You better not do us’ and that type of stuff which is a good laugh. There was always that rivalry growing up and it carries on now. To play against United is incredible.”
The Cup has been kind to Smith and ensured some standout memories. Three years ago, there was a Third Round trip to Stamford Bridge with Watford. He didn’t feature but still managed to snag Nemanja Matic’s shirt at full-time.
Chelsea, Liverpool and now Manchester United over the last few seasons. Not a bad return.
The competition still retains a romance for lower-league sides. It’s a moment in the spotlight and a reward for the unforgiving and largely under-appreciated toil. Most importantly, particularly when high-profile teams come and visit, there’s always the possibility of a shock.
United were already caught this season, suffering an embarrassing defeat to Bristol City in the League Cup back in December.
“For some teams, they might play their second-string or rest a few players nowadays,” Smith says.
Smith moved to Yeovil last summer and is enjoying his football. But the club have struggled in the league, winning just two of their last 12 games and sitting seven points from the bottom of the table. But they’ve flourished in other competitions. Outside of the FA Cup, there’s also the Football League Trophy. They’ve racked up impressive wins against Plymouth, Exeter and Wimbledon and will face Fleetwood in a quarter-final clash next month.
“In league games we seem to be getting in good positions and letting leads slip,” Smith says.
“But in cup competitions, we’ve done well and especially at home. It’s a one-off in the cup. We’ve beat three or four League One teams in competitions this season and you know going into it that anything can happen. So, maybe it’s a different mentality. When you come up against bigger teams, the pressure is on them so you can go and express yourself a bit more, maybe.”
It’s an odd situation for Yeovil and their players. On one hand, the objective is to get some momentum going in League Two and avoid a late-season scrap for survival. But on the other, putting everything into attaining a big result could ensure a massive financial windfall.
“It’s hard not to think about it,” Smith admits.
“The bread and butter of our season is the league. Those games are the most important and you’ve got to concentrate on that. But it is tough when such a big occasion is coming up.”
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):
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FA Cup Connor Smith Manchester United Plymouth Argyle Yeovil Town Tough Slog