G. O. Smith - Club Career

Club Career

Smith played football for Oxford University, representing the team from his freshman year, winning three out of four Varsity matches played against Cambridge, and captaining Oxford in his final year. On going down from university, he joined the Corinthians, then the best-known amateur football club in Britain and one not only renowned for its promotion of the ideals of sportsmanship and fair play, but also fully capable of meeting the best professional teams of the day on equal terms. Smith's scoring record for the club - 132 goals in 137 matches - remains one of the best strike rates in the history of the game, equating to one goal for every 93 minutes played. His record for The Casuals F.C. was even more impressive scoring 42 goals in 29 appearances.

In the course of his club career, Smith captained Corinthian in the first Sheriff of London Charity Shield fixture, a competition created to match the best professional and amateur teams in Britain. The match, played in 1898 against Sheffield United, proved controversial and with the score standing at 1-1 after 90 minutes, the professional side declined to play extra time because they had disagreed with several of the referee's decisions. Smith also scored the winning goal in Corinthian's memorable 2-1 Charity Shield win against the professionals of Aston Villa played at Crystal Palace in November 1900.