Stat Pack

Matty Smith played the most minutes of all of Waterford’s squad in 2020 during his first spell at the RSC. Manager Alan Reynolds signed the then 22-year-old from Dundee United and he played 1,592 out of a possible 1,620 minutes in the shortened 18-game season.

Smith was substituted after 80 minutes of the opening day 1-0 win away to St Patrick’s Athletic in favour of an extra defender in Darragh Power. He was also called ashore in the 72nd minute of a 2-0 home defeat to Shamrock Rovers in the third game of the season. The Scottish forward played every minute of all fourteen games when the league resumed from August that year as well as all of Waterford’s lone cup game under managers John Sheridan and Fran Rockett.

A player’s best ability is their availability and Smith has played 129 out of a possible 162 League of Ireland games over the past five seasons. His only significant absence was due to an ankle injury that ruled him out of the second half of 2023. Last season, he featured in 37 league and cup games for Shelbourne including home and away UEFA Conference League fixtures against St Joseph’s of Gibraltar and FC Zurich of the Swiss League. 

In total, Matty has scored 25 goals in 141 league and cup appearances since coming to Ireland and has registered 16 assists. Two of those goals came against Waterford in 2021 while playing for St Pat’s. He was in the starting line-up for St Pat’s in the 2021 FAI Cup final which they won against Keith Long’s Bohemians and added a league winners medal with Shels last season.

Born in Dundee, Matty’s youth career included time with with Aberdeen, Celtic and seven years with St Johnstone. He made his senior debut for Dundee United as a 19-year-old in a Scottish Premier League match at home to Partick Thistle. Smith came of the bench for the final 12 minutes with The Tangerines losing by two goals and helped them snatch an unlikely 3-3 draw. The young winger “saw a shot deflected into the side-netting” and “delivered a promising performance” (BBC Sport). He played a further 24 minutes away to Kilmarnock later that week in the final game of a season that saw United relegated to the Championship. In total, Matty made 53 senior appearances in Scotland between Dundee United and loan spells at Montrose and Cove Rangers.

He has won the last two overall League of Ireland Goal of the Season awards. In 2023, it was for an electric team breakaway and composed finish against Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght. Last season, he won for a sublime curled strike to the top corner at home to St Pat’s on live television. 

In his first term with Waterford, he won Goal of the Month votes in July (a stunning 20-yard volley versus Sligo Rovers at the RSC) and August (finishing a team move in Dundalk), but lost the yearly award to Shane Griffin. He also won Dundee United’s Goal of the Season in 2017/18 for a 20-yard rocket against Queen of the South. Expect more goals from the talented attacker in 2025.