Huddersfield Town’s decision to hand a trial to released Manchester City youngster Tommy Smith in 2012 proved to be a huge coup for the West Yorkshire outfit.
Smith spent eight formative years in the City academy but saw first-team prospects vanish when the oil money began flooding in after breaking his leg, telling Sky Sports: “I could see that the money was coming in and players were getting bought left, right, and centre,” but insisted he was “completely happy” to walk away in January 2012.
City’s loss swiftly became Huddersfield’s gain, as former academy coach Steve Eyre informed Town’s administration, and Smith signed permanently that summer after impressing for the U21s.
Over the next seven seasons, he established himself as the Terriers’ first-choice right-back, earning him a new contract in 2014 and leadership under David Wagner following their promotion to the Premier League.
| Tommy Smith’s all-time Terriers stats, as per FotMob | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 200 |
| Goals | 5 |
| Assists | 19 |
Tommy Smith blossomed into Premier League captaincy
Wagner’s faith in Smith was plain to observe. The Warrington-born full-back was officially given the armband ahead of Huddersfield’s first top-flight season in 2017/18, having skippered the play-off final against Reading.
It’s worth noting that Smith was stretchered off with five minutes of normal time remaining in that 2017 game after Yann Kermorgrant slid in on his ankle from behind.
Whether he watched the rest of the game from the sidelines or not, a man Manchester City had released for free had just led another team to the world’s wealthiest league.
Wagner later hailed the achievement as “a fairytale,” but Smith saw it as proof that leaving the Etihad to rebuild his career in Yorkshire had been worth it.
Smith made 24 Premier League games in 2017/18 as Huddersfield defied expectations and avoided relegation. Though their second season ended in relegation, and the right-back played only 15 league games, his contribution to the club’s greatest contemporary triumph was already complete.
Tommy Smith keeps Huddersfield in his heart after retirement
Smith was still revered in Kirklees after leaving for Stoke City in 2019.
In his emotional farewell statement while under contract at Middlesbrough in 2025, then-32-year-old Smith thanked former owner Dean Hoyle and Wagner for “changing his life”. He hadn’t played in nearly two years after rupturing his achilles tendon in 2023.
He recalled leading Huddersfield out at Wembley Stadium as “one of the best moments of not only my football career, but my entire life”.
Hoyle, who sold the Terriers six years ago, guided Smith’s transition from squad member to captain.
Huddersfield’s patient development with Tommy Smith
Finally, Manchester City’s choice to release him all those years ago was logical given their circumstances: they required quick effect as their goals skyrocketed under new ownership.
Huddersfield’s approach to the full-back proved quite different. Wagner’s coaching methods required absolute devotion, which suited Smith’s temperament wonderfully, allowing him to thrive. He was given time in Kirklees to develop into the player that City may have desired from the start.
The right-back’s playing style exemplified Town’s underdog attitude during that time. Smith, who stood 6’1″, possessed the physicality required to compete successfully in the Championship. That worked well when Wagner introduced his gegenpress tactics, and Smith managed 19 second-tier assists throughout all seasons.
City enabled one of English football’s shrewdest bargains by letting Smith to leave without pay, thanks to the £170 million promotion and seven years of faithful service Town received from him.
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