Jimmy Smith

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Max Hunt Praises Jimmy Smith on Instagram
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Not one, but two Yeovil town stars hang up their boots following the conclusion of the 2020/21 season, the final game against Stockport will be the final professional game for both Jimmy Smith and Carl Dickinson.

We’ve waxed lyrical about both on Gloverscast.co.uk and on our Podcast (Search ‘Gloverscast’ wherever you get your audio on demand), but it’s their teammates who have taken to social media to praise the duo who depart for coching roles next season.

Carl Dickinson will be Player/Manager at Hanley Town whilst Jimmy Smith is heading into the coaching set up at Chelsea.

We’ve complied some of the comments Glovers stars past and present have made on Twitter and Instagram

that show, just how much, they will both be missed.

Go well, gents – thanks for all you’ve done at Yeovil.

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Yeovil Town midfielder Jimmy Smith will join the coaching set-up at Premier League side Chelsea after announcing his retirement from playing.

The 34-year-old, who began his career at Stamford Bridge back in 2005, confirmed that he will hang up his boots following the final match of the National League season against $tockport County at Huish Park on Saturday.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Smith said “I’ve had two very different seasons in my time at Yeovil. The first one was unbelievable, to play for this club I’ve always thought so highly of throughout my career was special.

Jimmy Smith in action for Yeovil Town.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

“I have a good relationship with the gaffer (Darren Sarll) and (assistant manager) Terry (Skiverton) and have learnt so much from them.

“What we created as a team, staff, and fans together was amazing, playing home and away, the fans are truly the 12th man, which is something we have missed this season.

“Sharing the moment with our fans is something will always stick with me, especially when we sing our song all together. I was gutted we couldn’t achieve promotion in the play offs.”

Asked about the player’s retirement in his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Sarll said that both Smith and full-back Carl Dickinson, who plays his final game this weekend before taking over as manager at Hanley Town, will be “sorely missed.”

He said: “Jimmy came to us in a winning period which always helps and then helped kick us on, but this year his contribution off the pitch has been fantastic. He is going to go in to a full-time coaching environment now and he is going to be a fabulous coach, he just needs to take his time and develop his practices and everything he wants to be known as as a coach. He is someone like Carl who wanted to be here. It is hard to attract those people who want to be here because we are not making anyone a millionaire. We are either on the back nine for some or just starting out, but Carl and Jimmy will be sorely missed because they are great pros.”

Yeovil Town will be the final club in Smith’s playing career which spans 15 years and includes loan spells at QPR, Norwich City and Sheffield Wednesday whilst on the books at Chelsea and long stints with Crawley Town and Leyton Orient.

He will now join another ex-Glover Anthony Barry among the coaching set-up at Chelsea. Barry, part of the Glovers’ side that reached the League One play-off final in 2007, is a first-team coach at the Champions League finalists.

He has played 51 times scoring seven goals for Darren Sarll’s side and everyone at the Gloverscast wishes him all the best in his next adventure – and would like to ask him to send the cream of the Chelsea academy crop to Huish Park!

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Yeovil Town’s Jimmy Smith spoke to BBC Somerset following the Glovers’ 3-0 loss to Halifax saying the team felt frustrated at the outcome of the match,

“[It’s] very frustrating, the conditions didn’t help either, but that was for both teams, but when you’re not getting decisions from the referee, for the majority of the whole game it doesn’t help either”

Smith, who was booked during the game by the official Elliot Swallow, claimed he was headbutted in the build up to that yellow card whilst also bemoaning the refusal of not one but two penalty decisions which could have swayed the game in the Glovers’ favour.

“… I don’t think it’s a pen for them, we should have had a pen… [Tom] Knowlesy gets put in a headlock and the decision goes against him…”

Smith, like Manager Darren Sarll did admit that despite the officiating, the Glovers did make chances, but failed to capitalise on any.

“We had chances to get back into the game, we had free kick situations, we felt we could have scored from them. The score line, I don’t think it is what it shows, but we’re disappointed not to get something out of this game… we had a few chances, in the second half we had five or six and we need to put them away, no excuses.”

 

Read the match report here