Identify a footballer who by no means misplaced a NIFL League Cup tie?
It’s a poser that will have each statistician scratching their head. The individual in query didn’t grace the Irish League scene till the latter levels of his profession.
When he did arrive at Cliftonville, he grew to become a larger-than-life character — one which was by no means in need of opinion or afraid to talk his thoughts.
All good, self-respecting Reds followers will by now have labored out Marc Smyth is the person with the distinctive file of by no means having misplaced within the League Cup — fairly a powerful stat on his CV.
What lots of people don’t know is that he was on the verge of becoming a member of Glenavon earlier than he shook fingers with the late, nice Tommy Breslin.
“Gary Hamilton can be associated to me by means of my dad’s facet of the household, one thing like a second cousin,” explains Marc.
“He had spoken to me after I got here dwelling from Scotland.
“He was promoting Mark Haughey to Linfield on the time and he needed me as a substitute. We spoke in a Monday, however he by no means got here again to me.
“Bressie, God relaxation him, introduced me in on a Saturday afternoon and we shook fingers, however Gary should have heard about it. He rang me on Saturday evening to say he received the funding for the deal. I instructed him he was too late.
“As soon as I shake somebody’s hand, I’m not going to allow them to down. It was the very best handshake I ever made. It was a dream signing for my boyhood membership.”
You merely couldn’t have written the script for what was up forward when the Reds received back-to-back League titles — and extremely made the League Cup their very own for 4 years!
“Tommy was in all probability the nicest human being I’ve ever met,” provides Marc.
“I owe rather a lot to him and in addition to Gerard Lawlor. He introduced me to the membership and fought with me over a fiver when it comes to the contract, that’s why Gerard is nice at what he does.
“I've rather a lot to thank Gerard for, he caught by me. We now have all received issues happening in life and he caught by me greater than anybody.
“From the day and hour I signed to the day and hour I retired, I lever misplaced a League Cup recreation — I don’t know whether or not that’s some kind of file or not?
“I solely performed for the Reds for 4 years, however what a 4 years it was. Wee Bressie constructed one thing particular, he was an ideal man.
“Bressie was nicest man on this planet. I keep in mind he dropped me as soon as; we have been away at Dungannon Swifts. I pulled him exterior to ask him what was taking place. He instructed me we have been taking part in the Welders in midweek and I’d be taking part in.
“I mentioned I needed to play now, so we had phrases. I used to be all the time one to talk my thoughts, however I had a lot respect for him, I needed to ring him on the Sunday to apologise as a result of I let him down the best way I had spoken to him. He was the kind of man, I didn’t know anybody who didn’t like him. He was an incredible individual.
“He taught me a distinct facet to the sport. In my first week or two after I got here dwelling from taking part in full-time, I used to be questioning why we weren’t engaged on form or techniques.
“I had been overloaded with it in Scotland. In hindsight, we have been part-time, Tommy understood gamers, he understood the League and he understood how one can make folks play for him.
“We had huge characters within the dressing room. It’s not usually that occurs, a gaggle of gamers like that come collectively — the likes of (Barry) Johnston, (Ryan) Catney, Boycie (Liam Boyce), Joe (Gormley), the Scannell brothers (Ronan and Chris) and George McMullan.
“It was constructed on a few issues — it was constructed on membership legends and it was constructed on the household ambiance. It’s a household membership. There was lots of loyalty happening, everybody was fairly shut, together with the then chairman, Gerard Lawlor.
“The likes of Catney and McMullan may have performed for any staff, however Cliftonville was their membership.
“I used to be in all probability the odd one out as a result of I used to be introduced wherein added a distinct facet to it. However all of us had one factor in frequent, all of us needed to win issues.
“All of the totally different characters pushed us on. We had leaders all around the pitch. We partied exhausting and we performed exhausting. It was the very best however maddest few years of my life. Two League titles, 4 League Cups says all of it, however we in all probability may have received three or 4 League titles.”
Though the League Cup success continued, it was inevitable the staff would steadily break up.
Marc goes on: “In my third 12 months, we in all probability by no means signed proper and by no means strengthened, however that occurs. For the last few years, everybody was within the prime however we steadily ran out of legs. I in all probability performed longer than I ought to have.
“I used to be scuffling with accidents; George and Janty (Johnston) have been selecting up niggles; we misplaced Boyce and Diarmuid O’Carroll. The staff broke up naturally, the bonding broke up as properly. A brand new technology got here in.
“Wee Bressie stepped down in 2015 and that’s after I started pondering exterior the field when it comes to what can be subsequent up for me when it comes to teaching.
“Whoever took the job, it was all the time going to be a rebuild. I used to be glad to get out of the taking part in facet after I did.”
Marc now heads up the Cliftonville Academy — a submit he relishes.
“Destiny is a superb factor,” he says. “I had my eyes on that sort of job, however Kyle Spiers was in cost. All of a sudden I turned up on a Saturday morning when somebody mentioned he had left.
“My eyes lit up. I assumed that’s the job for me — the following step in my profession. I then inundated Gerard (Lawlor) with PowerPoints and recommendations. He lastly instructed me I used to be doing his head in.
“Finally, he introduced me in to say we’ll give it a go. He put his belief in me and I’ll all the time thank him for that.
“I’m solely pretty much as good as my coaches. My job is to handle them. We restructured, we went as younger as we may in our recruitment, proper right down to under-six-year-olds. My ethos was if we begin them as younger as we will, all they’ll know is Cliftonville.
“I’ve been within the job eight years now. I really like the Academy and all the children — I may in all probability identify you each single child now we have.
“My concern in life is what is going to I do if I haven’t soccer? I make no secret of that. That’s why I attempt to be higher day-after-day — and I work tougher than anybody. My position is to place issues in place for the long run.”
Though Marc was introduced up in Larne, he was born in Edinburgh. He started taking part in with Inver Colts earlier than shifting on to Larne Youth.
When he moved to Belfast membership Newhill, the cross-channel scouts got interested and he joined Blackpool at a 14-year-old.
“We have been put up in a mattress and breakfast and left to our personal units. I don’t blame anybody or the membership, I believe it was a tradition factor. There have been about 10 of us within the mattress and breakfast — and three of us on the one bed room.
“On the sphere, I used to be flying. I used to be within the first staff squad at 17. However off the sphere it was only a automotive crash. I believe it was only a lack of boundaries.”
Marc left the seaside membership at 18 and moved on to Ayr United.
“That’s when my profession actually took off,” he says.
“Ayr received me fastened up with a household and so they sorted me. That they had guidelines and there have been boundaries, one thing that was lacking at Blackpool. That helped make me a greater individual off the pitch.
“It wasn’t lengthy till I used to be within the first staff and I went on to make over 100 appearances for the membership till I used to be bought to Partick Thistle.”
He concludes: “I used to be then stitched up by an agent, that’s why I've no time for them now. I joined Partick, however I didn’t know that Owen Coyle tried to signal me for St Johnstone.
“He instructed me he left messages with my agent, however he didn’t inform me.
“I'd in all probability have joined Partick anyway as a result of it was handier, however I used to be the truth that he didn’t inform me. I used to be captain at 21 and we received promotion in my first season.
“I then had 4 years at Airdrie, once more I used to be made captain and my spotlight there was successful the Scottish Problem Cup which is now the event the Irish League groups are taking part in in.”