Former Leyton Orient Forward Makes League Two Switch

Swindon Town have completed the signing of experienced striker Harry Smith, following his departure from recently relegated Sutton United.

The addition of the 29-year-old marks the sixth signing of the Mark Kennedy era at Swindon Town, as the Irishman continues to prepare his squad for the 2024/2025 League Two campaign, according to the club’s official website. 

Who is Harry Smith?

Harry Smith is a name that should ring a bell for Swindon fans, having once played for the club in the 2017/2018 season on loan from Millwall where he had begun his professional career. He is a 6’5ft target forward with League One and Two experience.

Before signing for Millwall, the Chatham-born striker had played for various non-league clubs such as Sevenoaks, Sittingbourne, and Folkstone Invicta. Having impressed during his time in non-league, he was picked up by Championship Millwall in the 2016/2017 season.

The following season, as previously mentioned, Smith was loaned out to Swindon Town where he made 19 appearances and scored only two goals during his time with the club, which was cut short.

The 6’5ft striker signed for Macclesfield Town, which is where he met new Swindon manager, Mark Kennedy. Smith went on to make 39 appearances and returned nine goals.

Spells at Northampton and Motherwell saw Smith make a total of 40 appearances over two seasons. His next move was to Leyton Orient for an undisclosed fee ahead of the 21/22 season. Smith spent two years with the O’s. During the 22/23 season, he was sent on loan to Exeter City and Barnet, with the latter being a successful move, scoring seven goals in 12 appearances. He also made 10 appearances in Leyton Orient’s title-winning season.

The Englishman signed for League Two Sutton United ahead of the 2023/2024 season and was a standout performer for the relegated side. Smith registered 19 goal contributions in 42 appearances for Sutton. The target man striker departed the club at the end of the season, following their relegation to the National League.

What will Smith bring to Swindon?

Following the confirmation of this signing by the club’s website, the 29-year-old will bring well-valued experience to Wiltshire, having made 247 career appearances over his eight-year professional career at various levels including League One and League Two as well as the National League.

Harry Smith will also bring much-needed physicality to this Swindon squad. Standing at 6’5ft, Smith can use his frame to hold up the ball and he is also a huge attacking threat from set pieces due to his height. Smith won 387 aerial duels in the 2023/2024 season, according to https://footystats.org/players/england/harry-smith

Smith has been in a title-winning team environment before at Leyton Orient in the 2022/2023 season, which should benefit his experience and bring a much-needed winning mentality to Swindon.

Finally, as we’ve seen over the past season for Sutton, he is a goalscoring threat. In my opinion, when he is on his game, he is almost unstoppable. Due to his size, he is difficult to defend due to him having the physical and aerial advantage over most defenders.