From Flying Kiwis. Away to Wrexham in week 1.
The omens were strong when Smithy’s trial period with MK Dons was extended into a seat on the plane for their preseason camp in Germany. Now they’ve made it official, signing the All Whites veteran on a free transfer following his release from Colchester United. Smith thus remains in League Two joining a team that has just been relegated down into the division.
MK Dons will be his sixth professional club. He played 267 times for Ipswich Town, with a brief loan out at Brentford in there. Then left to Colorado Rapids for a couple years. Returned to England with Sunderland on a short term deal although he never actually played for them. Then a few years with Colchester including being club captain for most of that time. Including his 50 caps for the All Whites plus youth international stuff, Smithy has played more than 500 games of professional football in his career. Still only 33 years old.
Tommy Smith:
“It’s brilliant to get the deal sorted and over the line. I’m delighted to be here and hopefully I can help contribute to a successful season. I got a call from the Gaffer to see if I’d be interested in coming in to train and I jumped at the chance. I have enjoyed my couple of weeks here so far, getting to know the manager and the players, so it was an easy decision to sign. This is quite a young squad and I know the Gaffer wants me to come in and use my experience as much as I can, on and off the pitch. First and foremost, I want to contribute on the pitch and help the team get points on the board but naturally I’ll try and be an experienced voice and help the players around me.”
The League Two season begins next week and it does look like Smithy will have to earn his way into the line-up. They went full strength for their last preseason match, a 3-1 loss to Northampton Town, and that saw Smith serve unused substitute duty as they only used five changes despite the unofficial nature of the game (Northampton Town used nine subs including two trialists).
But that’s understandable. Similar to his place in All Whites squads these days it’s not only about what Smith offers on the pitch, it’s his leadership and guidance off it that matters just as much to the squad. Particularly a young squad like this, as he says. The coach made the exact same point in his comments...
MKD Head Coach Graham Alexander: “Adding Tommy’s abilities on the pitch, as well as his character off it, will be a big thing for us. He’s a no-nonsense defender who will go in where it will hurt but he’s also someone who is tactically aware and can pass that information on to the team. He played in the pre-season game against Barnet and then came with us to Germany. We liked how he trained and how he interacted with everybody. He also showed us how motivated he is to contribute to the team this season. Already, in the short space of time that he’s been with us, we have seen him pass on the experience and knowledge he has from playing at a higher level and internationally. However, he’s not coming in to just be a mouthpiece for us – he’s motivated to be a valuable player for us.”
Up Next: Wrexham vs MK Dons on Sunday at 2am... the Americans will be watching (NZT)
