AFC Bournemouth
By entering the AFC Bournemouth hall of fame, Adam Smith has passed some famous names, others are in his sights.
Smith joined an elite group when his inclusion against Brighton on Tuesday saw him earn a place in the top ten of the club’s highest appearance-makers.
His 304th league outing saw him draw level with club-record goalscorer Ron Eyre who plundered 229 goals in 337 games in all competitions between 1924 and 1932.
Having made steady progress through the top 20, Smith has eclipsed Simon Francis and Marc Pugh, two heroes of the club’s previous stay in the Premier League, and Eddie Howe, the manager who plotted the rise to the top flight.
Other luminaries include Brett Pitman, whose goals helped keep the Cherries afloat in the late 2010s, Dai Woodward, who served the club in various capacities over a 25-year spell between 1939 and 1964, and John Impey, who skippered the 1981/82 promotion-winning team.
And while Smith could still reel in the likes of legendary left-back Paul Morrell, goalkeeper Tommy Godwin, the club’s first full international, and Sean O’Driscoll, another loyal servant, catching record appearance-maker Steve Fletcher would appear to be a long shot.
Asked if his total of 628 league games for the Cherries would ever be topped, Fletcher told afcb.co.uk: “I don’t think so, just because of the way football is nowadays.
“I came here when I was 19 and played until I was almost 41. Most of my last two seasons were off the bench and I had 18 months at Chesterfield and Crawley. I had a lot of injuries and should have got to 1,000 games.
“It’s tough, especially at the level we’re at now. When I was playing, we had 46-plus games a season and there are fewer games in the Premier League. It’s going to be very difficult to surpass it.
“Neil Young, one of my best friends in the game, is second on 430 games and that will be hard to pass as well.
“I remember surpassing Sean O’Driscoll’s tally of 423. It was an incredible feeling for me so I’m sure Adam is feeling the same after getting into the top ten because it’s a fantastic achievement.
“But he probably won’t be thinking about it because it’s one of those things you look back on after you’ve retired.
“You don’t get to play 300 games without hard work, desire, passion, determination and being a true professional.
“We’ve seen a lot of very good players come and go at this football club and some just haven’t lasted.
“Adam has lasted and, hopefully, he’s still got a few more years left in him and he can break in to the top five.”
Fletcher played alongside Smith when he arrived on loan from Tottenham at the start of the 2010/11 season, the versatile defender signing permanently in January 2014.
“One game will always stick in my mind,” said Fletcher. “We played away to Peterborough and were losing 3-1.
“I came off the bench to make it 3-2 before Smudge scored the equaliser with virtually the last kick of the game.
“He went back to Spurs after that season and then we signed him permanently a few years later. He was in the team that got promoted to the Premier League and played five years in the top flight.
“When you think back to Peterborough, even in his wildest dreams, Smudge probably wouldn’t have imagined he would be winning the Championship and playing in the Premier League a few years later.
“When he first came in, he was back-up to Simon Francis. Franno moved across to centre-half and that gave Smudge a chance to play right-back. He’s been a regular ever since.
“He recently passed Steve Cook as the club’s leading appearance-maker in the Premier League which is also an incredible achievement.
“He deserves all the accolades and plaudits he gets and I speak for everyone involved with the club – staff, supporters, players and ex-players – in congratulating him on a fabulous achievement.”
Click through the arrows above to see a gallery of pictures of Adam Smith's career with the Cherries to date.
