Key timelines for Nathan Smith as he heads up the Port Vale all-time appearance list
Defender Nathan Smith has now made 359 senior appearances for the club. After signing a new contract, the reigning player of the year is expected to pass the four hundred mark.
Smith currently stands as the club’s fifteenth highest appearance holder. Here’s a possible timeline of how he could rise into the top ten…
Fourteen more appearances…
By around the half-way point of this season, Smith could well have overtaken a host of names and cemented himself as the club’s tenth highest appearance holder with 373 games to his name. Among the names he would pass would be goalkeeper Paul Musselwhite (367), defender Tommy Cheadle pictured (368), midfielder Tommy McLaren (369) plus strikers Stan Steele (370) and Basil Hayward (372).
End of the season…
If Smith continues in the same vein as last season there’s every chance he could finish with fifty-odd appearances. If he does it takes him to above the likes of midfielder Terry Miles (401) and defender Russell Bromage pictured (402), placing him in eighth place in the all-time Port Vale list.
And beyond…
If Smith clocks up around a hundred appearances then he’d get to around 460 games and fourth place in the all-time charts just behind club legend Roy Sproson pictured (842), defender Phil Sproson (500) and midfielder Harry Poole (499). Presuming Smith’s a regular pick he should do that in two seasons or so. When he does, he’d still only be around 29 years of age. Roy Sproson’s record is clearly out of reach. However, with a few more seasons at the club it’s conceivable that Smith could overtake Sproson Jnr and Poole and take the post-Roy Port Vale appearances record and second place in the all-time appearances chart.