He was subject of multimillion-pound bids from Arsenal, West Ham United, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Everton and was widely considered to have the best left foot outside the Premier League.
[citation needed] Smith joined Hartlepool United on a free transfer in November 2001.
[3][4] He scored a goal on his second substitute appearance[5] and a 20-yard volley on his full debut,[6] but the knee injury which deprived him of the chance to face off against his former team in the play-off final,[7] forced his retirement from professional football.
[9] In January 2006 he played a few games for Conference North club Alfreton Town,[10] from where he joined Conference National side Kidderminster Harriers in February,[8] but made just three substitute appearances for Harriers before leaving in the summer of 2006.
in the summer of 2007, swept the board of player-of-the-year awards for the 2008–09 season, and left the club in January 2010.