*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Marc Smelt
Appearances: 17+8 Goals: 9
Date / Year of birth: 17th May 1963
Position: Striker
Season of first appearance: 1988/89
Season of last appearance: 1989/90
Also played for: Gravesend & Northfleet, Walthamstow Avenue, King's Lynn, Leatherhead, Hythe Town, Ashford Town, Sittingbourne, Canterbury City, Ramsgate and Kent Police
Younger brother of Lee Smelt who played for Kent as a youth and started his senior career with Gravesend & Northfleet. Marc spent four seasons there from 1980/81 to 1983/84 but only made two first team appearances (one as sub), both during 1980/81.
Marc then joined Walthamstow and after just under two years with them he signed for Southern League Premier Division club King's Lynn in October 1985. He left the club at the end of the 1986/87 campaign.
In August 1987 Marc played for Thanet United in a pre-season friendly against Bracknell at Hartsdown Park and at that time United's player-manager was Norman Fusco. He was Marc's brother Lee's brother-in-law.
Marc joined Leatherhead for the 1987/88 campaign and had an excellent season, scoring 33 goals and winning the club's 'Player of the Year' award. He also played for an English FA X1 and his goals brought him to Brighton and Wimbledon's attention whilst Maidstone, Yeovil and Woking all had offers for Marc turned down before a broken foot scuppered any chance of a big move.
In the summer of 1988 Marc signed for Thanet after his Leatherhead contract expired and he scored a hat-trick in his first pre-season appearance - a 3-1 win over Faversham at Hartsdown on 26.7.88. On 30.7.88 United played Tilbury in another Hartsdown friendly and Marc injured his knee ten minutes into the first half and had to be replaced by youngster Mark Munday. At the time Thanet's physio John Griffin diagnosed Marc's problem as a jarred knee but it later turned out to be cruciate ligament damage. Unaware of the severity of his injury, Marc returned to action and made his debut in a 1-1 draw with Ramsgate at Southwood on 2.8.88 - the annual Isle of Thanet Gazette Cup match. He didn't manage to last the full 90 minutes but carried on playing in the weeks that followed, scoring his first goal for the club in a 3-1 home defeat against Salisbury on 20.8.88 which was the first Southern League game of the season. On 3.9.88 Marc scored Thanet's consolation goal in a 4-1 defeat at Chelmsford and it turned out to be his last appearance for the club. The true extent of his knee problem soon became apparent and at the end of October 1988 he left the club, shortly after the infamous FA Trophy game against his old club Leatherhead in which four Thanet players were sent off.
Marc had scored three times in five appearances and moved on because the club couldn't afford to pay for the treatment he needed. Leatherhead offered to meet the expense and gave Marc a contract. Four months later he was able to play again but in his own words Marc was "nowhere near as fast" as he had been and had "a slight limp" after the injury. In February 1989 he joined Hythe on a month's trial after realising that he wouldn't be able to repeat his 1987/88 goalscoring exploits at Leatherhead and in March 1989 Marc came on as a sub for Hythe's reserves in a game against Thanet's reserves at Hartsdown. He made six first team appearances for Hythe before the end of the 1988/89 season.
In the summer of 1989 Marc returned to Hartsdown Park and played in the newly renamed Margate's first game - a friendly against Arsenal. After he'd scored Margate's consolation goal in a 4-1 defeat Marc was signed on for the 1989/90 season. He made his first competitive appearance on 15.8.89 when he came on as a substitute as Margate beat Ramsgate 3-1 at Hartsdown in the annual Gazette Cup game. Marc then made two further appearances as a sub before being given his first start in an FA Cup tie at home to Wick on 2.9.89. He marked the occasion by scoring two goals - one of them from the penalty spot - to secure a 2-1 win. A week later, on 9.9.89, Marc scored again with what the Thanet Times called a "thumping drive" as Margate won 2-1 at Salisbury and he was a regular member of the matchday squad, although often a substitute, for the next two months. He scored three more goals to take his tally for the season to six before leaving the club at the end of November 1989. Marc's last game had been a 2-0 defeat at Canterbury in the Kent Senior Cup on 22.11.89 and he'd made 20 appearances (eight as sub) before his departure.
In March 1990 Marc signed for Ashford and on 14.3.90 he guested for Margate in Joe Radford's testimonial game against a Charlton X1. Marc got two of Margate's goals.
Marc left Ashford to join Sittingbourne for the 1990/91 season and in November 1990 he scored a hat-trick for the Brickies' reserves in a 10-2 win over Faversham Reserves. He got another treble in a 4-0 win over Whitstable Reserves a month later. On 26.1.91 he scored twice in a 5-0 win over Margate Reserves at Central Park.
In March 1991 Marc moved on to Canterbury, turning down the chance to become Leatherhead's player-coach to do so, and he spent the remainder of 1990/91 with City.
Marc spent 1991/92 with Ramsgate where he played the last games of his career before retiring although he did play in a few Margate friendlies prior to 1992/93.
After retiring Marc moved into coaching, starting out at Corinthian during 1992/93 before moving on to Faversham for the 1993/94 campaign. He then became coach at Ramsgate for a while before leaving the club in the summer of 1995.
Marc made a comeback as a player at the start of the 1995/96 season, making a few appearances for Kent Police in Division 2 of the Kent League before returning to Hartsdown Park at the end of 1995 to take charge of Margate's Under-18 side. They later managed to beat a West Ham side featuring a 15 year-old Joe Cole in a cup match.
In 2005 Marc was living in Broadstairs with his wife and son and was running his own business. He said that he was still a Margate fan and was hoping to see the club return to Hartsdown Park after the groundshares at Dover and Ashford.
Recalling his initial spell at Hartsdown with Thanet United when he was signed by Norman Fusco and scored three goals in his first match against Faversham Marc said "I bet Norman couldn't believe his luck ! he got me for nothing."
Thinking about the highlights of his Margate career, Marc felt that one was playing against Arsenal in the 4-1 friendly defeat in 1989 and scoring Margate's goal. He said "I think the keeper was Rhys Wilmot but my picture of the goal looks like David Seaman" he added "I'm not sure, and being a Spurs fan I didn't care !!" The keeper in question was actually a 'J.Will'. Marc also picked out the testimonial match for goalkeeper Joe Radford against a Charlton X1 later in 1989/90 when he scored two goals playing up front with fellow guest player Lennie Lee who also got two. Marc said "we both felt that might have been a decent partnership !"
In July 2011 he was appointed as one of Margate's three new Corporate Funding Advisers whose brief was to secure funds for the club from the local business community.
In August 2011 Marc's nephew Jack (Lee's son) signed for Margate.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
||
|
1988/89 (TUFC) |
5 (52) |
0 |
3 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (20TH OF 22) |
2QR |
2QR |
2R |
1R |
|
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
||
|
1989/90 (MFC) |
12 (59) |
8 |
6 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (16TH OF 22) |
2QR |
2QR |
3R |
1R |