11-07-2025
Wrexham legend Smallman can tell you all about Melbourne!
The former Wrexham striker, whose goals famously took Wrexham to the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1974, emigrated to Australia in 1982, and played for Melbourne-based Green Gully.
The Reds kick off their Down Under tour against Melbourne Victory this morning in what should be a packed Marvel Stadium.
And that's such a contrast to what it was like for goal-getter Smallman more than 40 years ago.
'It wasn't exactly coats for goalposts but it wasn't far off!' said Smallman, recalling his move from North Wales to Victoria.
He convinced wife, Barbara, to make the big move and Australia was home for six years with his two children, David and Jennifer, both born in Melbourne.
'It was my uncle who first gave me the idea,' added Smallman, whose return to Wrexham on a two-year contract was ruined by another freak injury that dogged his career.
'He'd gone out to Melbourne on a £10-assisted package. He was an engineer and went on to become head mechanic at Qantas.'
Smallman's top flight days at Everton, who paid Wrexham £76,000 for the Flintshire-born striker in 1975, had been thwarted by injury.
'I was at Everton for five years and I was injured for four years and three months of that time,' said Smallman.
'Arfon Griffiths wanted to sign me back and I was playing in the reserves. We had a game at Port Vale one Saturday morning and I'd tried to put the goalkeeper off by standing in front of him - like you used to be able to do - when he took a kick out of his hands.
'I turned round and he belted the ball right into my back. It almost ballooned back over him and went just over the bar.
'I carried on playing but my back was really hurting - it turned out I'd broken a rib.
'So the Wrexham return didn't come off so Charles Roberts - the former Wrexham director - was chairman at Bangor City and invited me to play there where Graham Whittle and Peter Williams were playing.
'It was alright but then the Australia opportunity came up and I ended up playing for a team called Green Gully.
'They were a Maltese team - and that's what it was like over there at the time. You had Yugoslavian teams, there was an Italian team called Juventus and another Maltese side called Green Cross. They were bitter rivals and it always kicked off against them!'
Smallman's injury jinx struck again and an ankle ligament injury ruled him out for the first five weeks.
'It was unbelievable and obviously they weren't impressed,' added Smallman, now aged 72 and living in Minera.
'When I returned I went in for a diving header; the keeper caught me with his shin and I had 26 stitches in my lip with my nostril hanging off!'
There was no national league in Australia back in the Eighties but there was success for Green Gully in the Victoria State League.
'We won the league and in my last season there, I was player-manager,' said Smallman. 'We won the treble and I scored a last minute goal in the final game of the season to win the league.
'The highlight was playing a cup final in front of 25,000 at the Olympic Stadium. We beat a German team called Heidelberg and I scored twice and set up the other three in a 5-0 win.
'Obviously I was working out there as well as playing - we'd get about 50 dollars a game - and ended up at Monsanto - the same group that had a factory in Acrefair - but my days ended at Green Gully when Jimmy Rooney, who'd play 100 times for Australia, came in as manager.
'We didn't get on and I played for a Greek team called Western Suburbs and then for the team where I lived in Melton.
' I remember my mum and dad coming out while I was playing and it was great for my dad to see me score in one of the games.'
But by 1988 and after Smallman had come back home after having a beer following training, the conversation turned to: 'Do you want to go home?'
And that's exactly what the Smallman family did as they boomeranged back for a new adventure back home in north Wales.
Smallman did play a few games for Colwyn Bay but at 36, he knew it was time to finally hang up those boots!
