Town's Wembley win capped 'crazy' turnaround for Smith

Ending the season with an assist in the play-off final at Wembley must have felt a long way from Harry Smith’s mind as he was stretchered off the pitch at Crawley Town only last Boxing Day.

Just moments after Shaun McWilliams suffered a similar fate during Town’s 4-0 loss, Smith collapsed in a heap and needed nearly 10 minutes of treatment before eventually being carried off.

But Smith was fortunate. His injury was not as bad as first feared, he worked hard in the gym and he returned with a goal against Mansfield Town in March.

And although lockdown halted his progress, victory at Wembley in the play-off final – plus a brief cameo appearance that included an assist for Andy Williams – capped a remarkable turnaround.

“It’s crazy,” said Smith. “It sums football up and it’s funny how things can turn out.

“To get an injury like that at Crawley, I wasn’t sure just how bad it was at the time and I didn’t know if my season would be over.

“But I grafted hard and then, unfortunately, when I did return, the lockdown started and by the time the play-offs came around, I hadn’t really kicked a ball for six months.

“But to be a part of it and to be in and around the lads for the semi-final, and especially Wembley, was superb.”

On as a half-time substitute, Smith looked sharp against Mansfield Town in the game before lockdown, scoring an injury-time header.

“The timing was unfortunate,” he admitted. “I probably grafted as hard as I ever have during the three months I was injured and I got myself in really good condition and I felt ready to kick-on for the final eight or nine games.

“I remember coming on at half-time against Mansfield and I thought I made a good impact and played quite well.

“I scored and I was really looking forward to the game against Forest Green but sod’s law, the lockdown came in!

“But I thought we dealt with all that well and in the end it worked out well for us.”

Whilst Smith only played a total of 36 minutes in the play-offs, it was an experience that he’ll never forget.

He added: “I think a lot of people wrote us off after the first leg but it just shows the character in the dressing room to go to a team like Cheltenham, who have the best defensive record in England outside the Premier League, and score three times.

“If anything the scoreline flattered them a bit because we could have had five or six on the night, but to go and win 4-0 at Wembley in the final, it was a dream come true.'

And now comes the next challenge: consolidating themselves in league One.

“Any player wants to play as high as they can and League One will be very tough next season,” admits Smith.

“You look at the teams who could come down from the Championship and the teams who missed out on promotion, the likes of Sunderland and Portsmouth, it’s going to be tough.

“There are some big clubs but we’ll go embrace the challenge and enjoy it.”