We didn’t have to look too far from home with this June 2022 transfer; Kane Smith signing from fellow Hertfordshire side Boreham Wood. He’d been hanging out in the south of the county for five seasons before we came calling. And we’d like to think it was some sharp business on our part; the Wood having been going well in the National League and unlucky to miss out on promotion more than once. Going into the 2022-3 campaign, however, they’d be left needing to replace this lad. That’s because he became the latest member of boss Steve Evans‘ new-look Boro’ side.

A right-back by trade, Smith can also do a job on the right hand side of midfield. Who doesn’t like versatility, eh? But the move gave us some more natural width; that being after a few years where width wasn’t exactly something we knew too much about. The player told the official site after signing: “We’ve been in talks since earlier this summer… Speaking to the manager was a massive pull for me. He’s hugely experienced at this level and knows how to get the best out of his players. The Club is also striving in the right direction led by the manager, and it was just a perfect fit for me.”

Kane Smith: Before Boro’

Ahead of the Wood’s FA Cup encounter with Everton, Smith revealed that – as a lifelong Toffees fan – his idol was Tony Hibbert. Not many people would say that. But Smith does; telling the Evening Standard: “As I got older and became a right-back, I just loved Tony Hibbert. I always wanted an Everton shirt as a kid and I got one, I had Cahill, but I always wanted Hibbert on the back. My old man would never buy me one.”

In his career and channelling his inner Hibbert, the right-sided player counts Biggleswade Town and Hitchin Town as his former clubs. I