He may not have received the romantic obituaries that his contemporary Robin Stubbs will probably get when he enters the great 'penalty box in the sky', but Torquay United gave Alan Smith the perfect send off by beating York City at Plainmoor.
After observing one minute's silence for sixties stalwart Smith, who was fondly referred to as 'Wacker' and made 303 appearances for United - including their famous 3-3 FA Cup draw with Tottenham Hotspur in 1965 - the 2016 Gulls under the command of Kevin Nicholson dispatched the Minstermen 2-0 - thanks in no small part to a first half brace from Nathan Blissett.
Smith was also a promotion winner whilst at Plainmoor, as part of Frank O'Farrell's team who finished third in the 1965-66 season. Hopefully several members of the current Torquay side will join him in that select group, but - given the nature of modern football - it's unlikely many of them will join him in the 300 club, although player-manager Kevin Nicholson has made 326 appearances for the Gulls, let alone get close to Kevin Hill's club record of 474.
