{{short description|Scottish footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox football biography |embed = |name = Aidan Smith |image = |image_size = |caption = |fullname = |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1997|5|11|df=y}} |birth_place = Dumfries, Scotland |height = |position = Striker |currentclub = Annan Athletic |clubnumber = 9 |youthyears1 = 2008–2015 |youthclubs1 = Queen of the South |years1 = 2015–2017 | clubs1 = Queen of the South | caps1 = 21 | goals1 = 2 |years2 = 2016–2017 | clubs2 = → Annan Athletic (loan) | caps2 = 33 | goals2 = 7 |years3 = 2017–2019 | clubs3 = Annan Athletic | caps3 = 71 | goals3 = 23 |years4 = 2019–2020 | clubs4 = Peterhead | caps4 = 23 | goals4 = 0 |years5 = 2020– | clubs5 = Annan Athletic | caps5 = 186 | goals5 = 45 |club-update = 5 May 2026 }}
'''Aidan Smith''' (born 11 May 1997) is a Scottish footballer who plays for Annan Athletic as a striker. Smith has previously played for Queen of the South and Peterhead.
==Career== Born in Dumfries, Smith started his career at hometown club Queen of the South. Smith was first named in a match-day squad on 24 August 2013, remaining an unused substitute in the team's 2–0 defeat away to Hamilton Academical in the Scottish Championship.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hamilton Academical 2-0 Queen of the South|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/23805455|access-date=22 August 2015|publisher=BBC Sport|date=24 August 2013}}</ref> Smith was a named substitute for six other matches that season, although he was unused.
On 6 March 2015, Smith debuted in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup, replacing Gavin Reilly for the final 11 minutes of the 1–0 defeat at Palmerston Park versus Falkirk.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Southwick|first1=Andrew|title=Queen of the South 0-1 Falkirk|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/31648387|access-date=22 August 2015|publisher=BBC Sport|date=6 March 2015}}</ref> Four days later, Smith made his league debut at Ibrox versus Rangers, replacing Reilly once again in the 83rd minute and three minutes later the 17-year-old scored his first career league goal, exploiting a mistake by goalkeeper Lee Robinson to earn a 1–1 draw for the ''Doonhamers''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wilson|first1=Richard|title=Rangers 1-1 Queen of the South|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/31704676|access-date=22 August 2015|publisher=BBC Sport|date=10 March 2015}}</ref>
Smith was then loaned out to Annan Athletic for the first half of the 2016–17 season,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qosfc.com/news-3280 |title=Aidan Joins Annan on Loan |publisher=Queen of the South FC |date=5 August 2016 |accessdate=7 January 2017 |archive-date=13 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813135931/http://www.qosfc.com/news-3280 |url-status=dead }}</ref> with the loan deal then extended until the end of the season on 7 January 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qosfc.com/news-3444 |title=Smith Rejoins Annan |publisher=Queen of the South FC |date=7 January 2017 |accessdate=7 January 2017}}</ref> His contract with Queens wasn't renewed during May 2017, so he was released after spending seven seasons in the youth set-up at Palmerston from 2008 until 2015 and then two seasons in the first-team squad.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qosfc.com/news-3577 |title=Squad update |publisher=Queen of the South FC |date=6 May 2017 |accessdate=27 June 2017 |archive-date=17 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617165232/http://www.qosfc.com/news-3577 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 14 June 2017, Smith signed a permanent deal with Annan Athletic, after a season-long spell on loan at Galabank from Queens during the 2016–17 season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.annanathleticfc.com/new-signings-announced/ |title=Peter Murphy makes first signings |date=15 June 2017 |publisher=Annan Athletic FC |accessdate=27 June 2017}}</ref>
On 24 June 2019, Smith signed for Peterhead after two seasons with the ''Galabankies''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Law |first1=Callum |title=Play-offs the target for new Peterhead striker Smith ahead of League One campaign |url=https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/sport/football/scottish-football/play-offs-targeted-by-new-blue-toon-striker/ |website=Evening Express |access-date=4 June 2021}}</ref> He left Peterhead after one season, and returned to Annan in September 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Law |first1=Callum |title=Jim McInally certain Aidan Smith's luck will change after goalless Peterhead spell |url=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/peterhead-fc/2459797/jim-mcinally-certain-aidan-smiths-luck-will-change-after-goalless-peterhead-spell/ |website=Press and Journal |access-date=4 June 2021}}</ref>
==Statistics== {{updated|match played 23 October 2021}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|Scottish Cup !colspan="2"|League Cup !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals !Apps!!Goals !Apps!!Goals !Apps!!Goals !Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="4"|Queen of the South |2014–15<ref name="AS14">{{soccerbase season|71925|2014|accessdate=24 October 2017}}</ref> |rowspan="3"|Scottish Championship |5||1||1||0||0||0||1<ref group=lower-alpha>Appearance in the Premiership play-offs</ref>||0||7||1 |- |2015–16<ref name="SH15">{{soccerbase season|71925|2015|accessdate=24 October 2017}}</ref> |16||1||0||0||2||0||2<ref group=lower-alpha name="SCC">Appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup</ref>||0||20||1 |- |2016–17<ref name="SH16">{{soccerbase season|71925|2016|accessdate=24 October 2017}}</ref> |0||0||0||0||2||0||0||0||2||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !21!!2!!1!!0!!4!!0!!3!!0!!29!!2 |- |Annan Athletic (loan) |2016–17<ref name="SH16"/> |Scottish League Two |33||7||0||0||0||0||2<ref group=lower-alpha>Appearances in the League One play-offs</ref>||2||35||9 |- |rowspan="3"|Annan Athletic |2017–18<ref name="SH17">{{soccerbase season|71925|2017|accessdate=24 October 2017}}</ref> |rowspan="2"|Scottish League Two |36||12||1||0||4||0||2<ref group=lower-alpha name="SCC"/>||3||43||15 |- |2018–19<ref name="SH18">{{soccerbase season|71925|2018|accessdate=28 October 2021}}</ref> |35||11||3||2||4||1||6{{efn|Two appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup and four appearances in the Scottish League One play-offs}}||0||48||14 |- !colspan="2"|Total !71!!23!!4!!2!!8!!1!!8!!3!!91!!29 |- |Peterhead |2019–20<ref name="SH19">{{soccerbase season|71925|2019|accessdate=28 October 2021}}</ref> |Scottish League One |23||0||1||0||4||0||1<ref group=lower-alpha name="SCC"/>||0||29||0 |- |rowspan="3"|Annan Athletic |2020–21<ref name="SH20">{{soccerbase season|71925|2020|accessdate=28 October 2021}}</ref> |rowspan="2"|Scottish League Two |22||2||1||1||4||0||0||0||27||3 |- |2021–22<ref name="SH21">{{soccerbase season|71925|2021|accessdate=28 October 2021}}</ref> |10||1||1||0||3||0||1<ref group=lower-alpha name="SCC"/>||0||15||1 |- !colspan="2"|Total !32!!3!!2!!1!!7!!0!!1!!0!!42!!4 |- !colspan="3"|Career total !180!!35!!8!!3!!23!!1!!15!!5!!226!!44 |}
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Soccerbase}} *{{Soccerway|id=aidan-smith/307010}}
{{Annan Athletic F.C. squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Aidan}} Category:1997 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from Dumfries Category:Scottish men's footballers Category:Men's association football forwards Category:Queen of the South F.C. players Category:Annan Athletic F.C. players Category:Scottish Professional Football League players Category:Peterhead F.C. players Category:21st-century Scottish sportsmen