Player In Focus – Dan Smith

Our final Player in Focus this week see’s us joined by Dan Smith as he talks about his return, incredible form and the upcoming end to the season.

You were welcomed back with open arms for your second spell at Poulton in October, how does this compare to the first spell and what have noticed has changed for your position here and the club itself?

“Well my first spell was when I was just starting out in senior football which is always a tough thing to do as an 18/19 year old. I settled in straight away and developed a real liking to the club on and off the pitch. The lads instantly made me feel welcome and I’ve made a lot of friends because of this. The physical side of it was hard to adjust to at first but if you compare that to now, I feel really comfortable in myself and my abilities. In my return I’ve noticed lots of things. Obviously on the pitch I now play as a left wing back which allows me to show my ability in the final 3rd. And off the pitch the atmosphere and connection the players all have with each other couldn’t be any better.”

You joined AFC Blackpool in the North West Counties at the end of last season, what made you return to the club?

“Yeah so I was given the opportunity to push myself in a higher division and I think whilst I’m still young I felt like I had to take that opportunity. Unfortunately it didn’t turn out to be what I would have hoped it to be so I was looking for other options. All I wanted to do was play and enjoy my footy and I knew I would get that at Poulton. The decision to come back was not hard at all. Plenty of familiar faces and I knew that I would be enjoying football again. Coming back to Poulton was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

12 goal contributions in 11 games so far from left wing back, that’s an incredible achievement! How does this stand up to your standards and expectations and how are you feeling right now?

“To be honest scoring goals and providing assists was never a part of my game. I think that was the 1 thing that I was missing but now I am playing in a higher position it has suited me really well. I’ve managed to get myself into areas which I wouldn’t normally get in, which has led to me scoring goals and helping others score goals too. It has gone from ‘I wonder if I’ll score today’ to ‘I wonder how many goals I’ll score today’ which is a great feeling and I want this to carry on.”

Wiggs has described you numerous times as the best natural left sided player in this league. How does that motivate you as you progress in your football journey?

“It’s nice to be recognised like that and I think the fact that I’m left footed does help. Natural left footed players are quite rare at this level and I think there’s only 3 or 4 in the whole club. Playing down the left side as a left footed player does make life easier as it provides that balance for the team and I think that is why I’ve had so much joy this season.”

And finally…semi-final on Tuesday 14th April against Milnthorpe or Pause United in what is going to be a very compact fixture run-in to the end of the season. What’s the aims and general mood around the camp at the moment?

“Oh we are dying for this trophy. The lads are hungry for it and we will be ready. The games are coming thick and fast so it’s important that we all look after ourselves to ensure we are finishing the season strong and hopefully with some silverware too. This is the ‘Business end’ of the season as they say so we will have to be well prepared if we want to win something. The lads will be ready 100%. We want to win a trophy.”