Matt Smith: Football, family and feeling at home

The past couple of years have been busy, life-changing and rewarding for Matt Smith.

He proudly welcomed two kids into the world (Bobby and Evelyn), got married and, on the pitch, recently racked up his 50th St Johnstone appearance in our victory against Dundee at Dens Park.  

Matty, who has represented Wales on the international stage, made the move to Perth in the summer of 2023 and wasted little time in showing off his technical ability and work-rate in the middle of the park.

A consistent performer, he is enjoying life both on and off the field of play – and especially now that his family has fully joined him up north.

“I remember getting that first call about St Johnstone,” Matty explained. “It suited where I was at and what I needed. I wanted a fresh start away from the English cycle I was in.

“I had been going somewhere, not playing and then working extra hard to get back into the team. When the opportunity with Saints came up, it made a lot of sense for me.

FAMILY MAN

“At the time when I signed, we only had Bobby (first child). I wanted my partner to be settled so they didn’t come up for the first six months or so.

“Then we had my little daughter and we were getting married too, so there was a lot going on and a lot to plan. A lot of last season I was living up here on my own and was trying to get back to Manchester to see them as much as I could.

“But everyone is up here now. It makes life easier not having to travel back down to Manchester - and having them around makes a big difference to me.”

Matty added: “It doesn’t matter what day you have had. If you have had a bad game or have lost, the kids aren’t bothered. They just see you as dad and want you to play with them.

“Even after training, sometimes you can feel like you have had a bad session. But you get home, spend time with the kids and they make you laugh.

“My little boy is always talking about football now and is wanting to play. He is at the age where he can watch me on the television too – and that is nice. You get extra motivation to make them proud. It has been a life-changing couple of years but all for the better.”

EARLY YEARS IN FOOTBALL

Matty was introduced to football at a young age and, in the early years, was hooked. He did, however, fall out of love with the game for a short period and dropped out of the pro youth set-up to get the spark back.

“I remember playing for a team at under-seven age group,” Matty said. “My dad was the manager, I really enjoyed it and I got an early feel for the game.

“The following season I was asked by Aston Villa if I wanted to train with them. I did that for a few years but was released at the age of 12 or 13.

“I wasn’t enjoying it anymore and I’d fallen into the trap where it became a chore going to football. After being released I had a few offers from different clubs in the football league.

“I sat down with my dad and wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it all anymore. I didn’t enjoy it so I decided to play with my mates in Sunday league for a season.

“That made me fall back in love with football and, from there, West Brom wanted to give me a contract. I played in the academy for a year-and-a-half and then the opportunity to go to Manchester City came about.”

MANCHESTER CITY EXPERIENCE

The Redditch-born midfielder was just 14 years of age when Manchester City came calling and it represented a first move away from home. It would prove to be a valuable learning experience alongside the likes of Phil Foden, who continues to star for the reigning English Premier League champions.

“It was a bit of a surreal moment signing for City because, two years before that, I didn’t even know if I wanted to be a footballer anymore,” said Matty, who was also a talented cricketer in his early days.

“I moved up to Manchester away from the family but it gave me the belief in myself that I could go on and be a footballer if I wanted to.

“I went through youth teams at City and trained with some of the first team players. All of those experiences stood me in good stead.

“There were so many quality players in the team and seeing how they have developed has been amazing. When you are in it and it’s what you know, you take it for granted in terms of the facilities and the coaching.

“Looking back on that period of time, I count myself very lucky to have gone through that system with quality players and having the opportunity to train with the first team. It obviously helped me as a player and set me up to be a man too.”

What also helped with his development in the game were numerous loan spells during his time at City. There was time spent at FC Twente in the Netherlands – where he helped them gain promotion – as well as spells with Queen’s Park Rangers, Charlton, Doncaster and Hull City.

“That last loan at Hull, I started brightly but there was a manager change,” Matty recalled. “I could’ve stayed knowing I wasn’t really in anyone’s plans, or there was a decision to make where I was eventually going to leave City and sign for MK Dons.

“MK Dons were flying when I joined so it was difficult to break into the team at first. The following season, I played quite a bit and ended up going to the World Cup. It was an unbelievable feeling being there with your country.”

FINDING FORM AT SAINTS

With almost a season-and-a-half now behind him at Saints, Matty is focused on continuing to contribute positively under new head coach Simo Valakari.

It is a style of football he is enjoying being a part of but, at the same time, he knows what matters is sticking three points on the board.

“On a personal level, it has been good,” Matty said. “Sometimes the results don’t translate and that gets frustrating for everyone.

“As happens with a new manager, you need to prove yourself again and that is what I will continue to try and do. I love playing with the lads and, at the minute, we need to find ways to win games of football.

“The gaffer has brought in a really nice way of playing and it’s probably even more frustrating when we’re playing this way then coming away with nothing.

“In this league, teams won’t care about that. It is ruthless in terms of results but, if you can get three or four positive ones, the outlook in the table changes.

“After Ross County and Dundee, we were big on trying to build a run. In all the games since then, there have been periods where we have been massively dominant.

“It is easy to say but, if we score at the right time, it changes things. Looking back on the St Mirren game, we had the disallowed goal to stop us from going 2-0 up.

“Even the Hearts game, we maybe changed people’s perceptions of what we are as a team when it comes to a way of playing.

“Motherwell was frustrating because, for 20 minutes, I felt we were dominating. It’s frustrating for players and staff when we are showing glimpses of being a really good team.”

He continued: “The way the gaffer wants to play, we don’t need to force things. We’re going to keep the ball and throughout the team we have players who want to get on it.

“It makes my life more enjoyable when you see more of the ball. But, again, we need to win football matches. It’s brilliant playing the way we want to, but we also need to translate it to wins. That is what I and everyone at the football club cares about.”