Tommy Smith

Thomas Jefferson Smith (born 31 March 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for A-League club Macarthur FC.

Born in England, he plays for the New Zealand national team.

A graduate of the Ipswich Town academy, he plays primarily as a centre back, but can also play as a left back.

He won the club's Young Player of the Year award for the 2006–07 season.

He signed a three-year professional contract in August 2007.

He was on the shortlist for the 2008 Wickes Young Apprentice Trophy, given to the best youth player in the Championship, but Mark Beevers won the award.

In February 2008, Smith joined Stevenage Borough in the Conference National on a one-month emergency loan.

He made his debut for the club on 23 February in a 0–0 draw with Grays Athletic.

Later the loan was extended until the end of the season.

He played 15 games for the club before returning to Ipswich.

Smith's form for Stevenage led to him getting his opportunity in the Ipswich first-team, he made his debut on 9 August 2008, in a 2–1 home loss to Preston North End at Portman Road.

That season, Smith broke his ankle in training, and missed the majority of the season.

However, by the time he made his return to first team action, manager Jim Magilton had left the club and been replaced by Roy Keane.

Smith featured heavily in Keane's early games as Ipswich manager, with the former Manchester United midfielder opting to give some of the club's younger talent – such as Connor Wickham and Smith – a chance to prove themselves.

However, injury stalled Smith's progress once again, when he suffered another training ground injury – this time to his hand.

In his absence Gareth McAuley and Damien Delaney formed a solid defensive partnership ahead of deputizing goalkeeper Arran Lee-Barrett.

Smith was unable to force his way back into the first team in the short-term.

On 7 January 2010, Smith joined Brentford on a temporary basis.

In doing so, Smith replaced Pim Balkestein at Griffin Park, who had been on loan at the club from Ipswich too.

He made his debut on 16 January in a 3–1 win over Carlisle United.

Smith played eight games during his brief spell at Brentford, before being recalled by Ipswich on 15 March.

Smith scored his first professional goal for Ipswich away against Middlesbrough in the first game of the 2010–11 Championship season, which Ipswich won 3–1.

He made 26 appearances over the course of the season, scoring 3 goals.

On 17 March 2011, Smith signed for Colchester United on loan for the rest of the 2010–11 season.

He made his debut two days later in a 1–0 away loss to Tranmere Rovers.

He made six appearances during his loan spell before returning to Ipswich.

After an impressive 2011–12 season, in which he scored 3 goals in 28 appearances, Smith signed a two-year contract extension in May 2012.

He scored in his first appearance of the 2012–13 season in a 3–1 home win over Bristol Rovers at Portman Road in a League Cup first round tie, on 14 August.

He established himself as a first-team starter over the course of the season, making 41 appearances in all competitions and scoring 4 goals.

Smith's performances earned him the Ipswich Town Player of the Year award for the season.

Smith formed a strong defensive partnership with new signing Christophe Berra during the 2013–14 season.

He scored his first goal of the season on 10 August, in a 3–0 home win over Millwall.

He made 47 appearances during the season, scoring 6 goals, his highest goal return in a season to date.

He continued to feature as a first-team regular during the 2014–15 season as Ipswich finished 6th and qualified for the Championship play-offs.

He played 46 games over the course of the season, scoring 5 goals, including scoring against Norwich City in an East Anglian Derby on 16 May 2015.

He scored his first goal of the 2015–16 season on 15 August, netting the winner in a 2–1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday at Portman Road.

Smith spent 11 years at Ipswich, making over 240 appearances before leaving in January 2018 to join MLS side Colorado Rapids.

He later joined Sunderland in February 2020 after being released by Colorado.

Later in 2020, he signed for Colchester United.

Born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, Smith is a product of the Ipswich Town academy.