Relegation cloud will dampen Nathan Smith’s 400 appearances milestone
This Saturday will mark defender Nathan Smith’s 400th appearance for Port Vale FC, but no-one will be surprised if the celebrations are muted.
The Valiants could have relegation to League One confirmed at the weekend and naturally any move to mark Smith’s milestone will therefore probably have be downplayed. The defender will hit 400 senior appearances if he is selected to play against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
Like many of his teammates, the central defender has not had one of his best seasons during 2023-24, but he deserves respect for consistent performances since breaking through to the Port Vale first-team at the start of the 2016-17 season. Reaching four hundred appearances, a feat that sees him in the top ten appearance holders for the Valiants, is a great career achievement.
Smith has been named as the club’s player of the year on two occasions – in 2017 and 2023 – after progressing to the first-team from the youth ranks. Still only 28 years of age, he is under contract for another season and that could see him break into the top five of the club’s all-time appearance holders.
Nathan Smith at Port Vale
Age: 28
Appearances: 399
Goals: 22
Honours: Promotion 2022, Player of the Year 2016 and 2023
Port Vale top ten appearance holders
- Roy Sproson (842)
- Phil Sproson (500)
- Harry Poole (499)
- Ray Walker (442)
- Andy Porter (433)
- Dean Glover (431)
- Neil Aspin (410)
- Russell Bromage (402)
- Terry Miles (401)
- Nathan Smith (399)
David Brown
17th April 2024 @ 10:27 pm
399 appearances is a very fine achievement. Smith’s been a reliable and steadfast defender, dependable like those listed above, and could potentially go on to more than 500 games. But, based on this season’s form, it almost seems that the more he plays the worse his form, almost a liability at times. Perhaps an exaggeration, but if and when relegation is confirmed the club will require much improvement from Smith next season. That all said, the same could reasonably be said about most others in the squad.
Paul Dixon
18th April 2024 @ 10:02 am
Fantastic achievement in modern football . He’s been asked to do a different side of football which I’d say he’s not comfortable with. Ask him to head it and clear he’s a different proposition . Should never be skipper in my opinion Will be very much needed next year in league 2 and should go into vales top 5 for appearances Well done Nathan
RON
18th April 2024 @ 12:12 pm
I think he has had more good seasons than bad stayed loyal when he could have moved has suffered by not having a good central partner remember the days when it was Smith and Legge in defence
Ian Mountford
19th April 2024 @ 12:15 am
Play Smith in his correct position and he’s still someone you need in your team, the lad is old school and is willing to get hurt in his efforts to do his job. Expect him to play wide in a back three with people running at him, and it’s not his game, expect him to play out from not the back, and it’s not his game. The back three and wingbacks style we have employed this season has made a lot of players to look poor and not only Smithy. Square pegs in round holes, the total lack of experience in the other central defenders has all made Smith’s season very difficult.
Vale fan
19th April 2024 @ 1:13 am
Personally I can’t believe he has played that many games for Vale, can’t read the game, one of the worst players I have seen in a Vale shirt.he what is wrong at Vale park, he would never be in a team of mine, he’s no Andy Porter.