Les Smith, a Redhill FC Legend.

[Burger!]

Les Smith, a Redhill FC Legend by David Barber

Since the last home match against Camberley the Club has been sad to hear of the passing of Les Smith, our Vice-President and Life Member. In former times Les was Club President and, in some of our glory days in the 1960s, Club Secretary.

 

Appointed Secretary in 1963 he arranged for then Manager Eric Nicholls to be given a three-year contract to give the Club some stability and three years later the Reds were good enough to win the Surrey Senior Cup, defeating Isthmians Sutton United 4-3 in the Final at Tooting. For Les personally he was now on a journey that would lead to him becoming one of the top football administrators in the history of the county.

 

Subsequently he represented Surrey on The Football Association Council, sitting on important Committees at Lancaster Gate and Soho Square, before becoming a Vice-President and then a Life-President of The FA. 

 

But he would still be standing near the touchline with his friends at every Redhill game, his last an Isthmian League fixture against Carshalton at the Brow before he left for Scotland to be near his son Nigel when he was in his 80s. Nigel was an alpine skier who represented Great Britain.

 

A great one-club man, we will all miss Les.