Matt Smith

Matt Smith was a striker who played for Fulham from 2014 until 2017. At nearly 2 metres tall, Matt is an imposing figure in the box who is naturally strong in the air and signed for the club on deadline day in the summer transfer window of 2014.

Fulham (2014-2017)
Matt joined Fulham after approaching him on deadline day 1 September 2014. He signed for a reported fee of £500,000 and was given the number 9 shirt, joining up with former Leeds teammate Ross McCormack. He made his debut on 14 September away at Reading, where he got off to the worst start possible by getting sent off after only 18 minutes after a one footed lunge upon losing the ball. He only managed a further two appearances as substitute as he struggled to get game time under new manager Kit Symons, and was sent out on loan for an initial two months to League One side Bristol City on 27 November 2014. The loan was then later extended until the beginning of March. The loan spell was very successful for Matt and enjoyed a high goal ratio.

He made his return for Fulham on 3 March after coming on as a substitute during a 1-0 loss away at Watford, and scored his first goal three days later in what was a 5-1 home loss to AFC Bournemouth. This was followed up by a second goal the following Saturday as he netted the equalising goal in a 1-1 draw away to Sheffield Wednesday. A third followed on 10 April during a 2-2 draw at home to Wigan which was a superb 30 yard effort that Smith claims as his best ever goal to date. He then scored what proved to be the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over Blackpool that had ensured Fulham's Championship safety following a poor season for the club.

Matt scored in the season opener during a 1-1 draw away to Cardiff City in August 2015 and looked to be a first choice striker alongside Ross McCormack. During a match against Hull City only two weeks into the season, he fell awkwardly injuring both his knee and goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli's and as a result were both substituted off. After his recovery, he struggled to gain any consistent game time, manly due to the successful partnership that McCormack and Moussa Dembélé had formed throughout 2015-16. He finished the season with only two goals to his name.

At the commencement of the 2016-17 season, Both McCormack and Dembélé had left the club and this gave Matt a chance to make himself counted and he did so in the league opener at home to favourites Newcastle United as he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win. A goal in the following week during a 2-1 victory away at Preston proved to be his last goal for the club. After struggling to impress Slaviša Jokanović and making mostly late substitute appearances, he was sold to QPR on the final day of the January transfer window in 2017 for a fee of £500,000 potentially rising to £1 million.