Gardiner-Smith is set to put spells with Zenit St Petersburg and Wycombe Wanderers to good use as he bids to help fire Hungerford Town to promotion
Hungerford Town’s newest recruit Jacob Gardiner-Smith is hoping he can use his experience playing professionally in Russia and the Football League to help fire the Crusaders to promotion.
The versatile midfielder spent time at Russian giants CSKA Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg while he was a teenager and was part of the Wycombe Wanderers squad that gained a historic promotion to the Championship in 2020.
Since then, the 26-year-old has acquired National League South and Southern Premier League experience with the likes of St Albans and Hemel Hempstead and joins Hungerford’s ranks following a spell with Beaconsfield.
And Gardiner-Smith – likeable, articulate and with a fascinating career so far – said he was delighted to sign for the Crusaders as Danny Robinson’s side bid to return to the National League South at the first time of asking.
“I’m buzzing to be here,” he said.
“It feels great to join a team that’s chasing promotion. We’re all working towards the same goal and I’m hoping I can come in and help the team get back to where it belongs.”
Gardiner-Smith joins Town with the team on a 14-game unbeaten run and pushing for promotion. After enduring a mixed start to the campaign and losing three of their first five matches, the Crusaders have settled into life in the Southern Premier League South and are one of the form teams in the division.
Still unbeaten at Bulpit Lane this term, Hungerford are currently occupying the fourth and final play-off spot, with a five point cushion above AFC Totton. With Town 10 points behind league leaders Chesham, Gardiner-Smith admits his ambition is to help the club win promotion and bounce back to the National League South.
He said: “Absolutely, promotion is the goal and that’s why I’m here.
“I feel like the club belongs at the level above and it’s on an upward trajectory this season; to go 14 games unbeaten is not an easy thing to do at all, especially at this level where it’s so competitive.
“It’s a really exciting time to be at the club.”
Gardiner-Smith arrives to add to boss Danny Robinson’s considerable midfield options, with Brad Hooper, Joe Shepherd and Sam De St Croix impressing in the engine room in recent weeks. With Jack Alexander capable of playing in the holding role and Fabio Lopes providing a more forward-thinking option, Gardiner-Smith will have to work hard to break into the starting XI.
Yet the box-to-box midfielder is determined to make an impact at Bulpit Lane and is confident he can make Town even stronger.
“Of course I haven’t come here just to sit on the bench, I’ve come here to make a difference,” he said.
“Hungerford have a great team and an excellent midfield – I want to benefit and add to that.
“I’m very competitive and I want to play every minute of every game if I can and that’s what I’ll be fighting to do.
“As long as I can benefit the team in some way, then I’ll be happy. I just want to help us keep winning matches for the supporters and for Danny.”
Gardiner-Smith was cup-tied as the Crusaders were dumped out of the Berks and Bucks Cup following a 2-0 defeat to Burnham in midweek but could be in line to make his debut this weekend when league leaders Chesham come to Bulpit Lane.
The Generals won the reverse fixture 2-1 but three of their four league defeats this term have come on the road and Gardiner-Smith says he is relishing the challenge posed by the visit of the league’s front-runners.
He said: “As players, everybody wants to play in the big games.
“These are the kind of games where you can make your mark. We know the fans are going to be right behind us and we’re really up for it.
“These are the most exciting games as a player because there’s a lot at stake; the reason we play football is to play in these matches.
“We’re full of respect for Chesham but we’ll approach the game with no fear.”
Like so many players, Gardiner-Smith admits popular manager Danny Robinson played an important role in convincing him to put pen to paper on a deal in West Berkshire.
“I’m really, really looking forward to working with Danny,” he said.
“Everybody I speak to at the club speaks really highly of him; I’ve only been here for a couple of days and all the lads are buzzing off him, it’s a great atmosphere.
“Everyone wants to play for him and will give everything to win for him. I’m exactly the same and I’m really looking forward to giving my absolute best in a Hungerford shirt and repaying the trust and faith that he’s shown in me.”
The technical midfielder, who can also operate as a full-back, has plenty of experience at this level having spent time at Hendon, Hanwell and Beaconsfield. As well as multiple spells with National League South sides, Gardiner-Smith is hoping he can add some of his know-how to the dressing room while finding a permanent home at Bulpit Lane.
He said: “I’ve played for Hemel and Braintree at Step 2 and I’ve played for a few clubs at this level as well.
“I like to think I’ve got decent experience now in non-league. I know what it takes to win and if I can add anything to the dressing room that will help towards the success of the team then that’s what I’ll try and do.
“I’d like to establish myself at the club and hopefully add to the success that the team’s already had this season.”
Still only 26, Gardiner-Smith arrives in West Berkshire having already enjoyed a successful and storied career at home and abroad.
He signed a professional deal with Gareth Ainsworth’s Wycombe Wanderers in the summer of 2019 and was a part of the squad that achieved promotion to the Championship for the first time in the club’s history the following year.
And Gardiner-Smith, who played alongside the likes of Adebayo Akinfenwa, Matt Bloomfield and Joe Jacobson, said his spell with the Chairboys was one of his most memorable to date.
“We only had a first team squad when I was there, so I was very much part of that and managed to play three times for them that season,” he said.
“I like to think I contributed to that team and it was one of the proudest moments of my career.
“I learned a lot from some of the experienced players there and I took a lot from Gareth Ainsworth himself.
“He and the senior players taught me a lot about my game; not just on the pitch, but how to conduct yourself and how to carry yourself off it.
“It was a learning curve and I had a lot of great experiences that have helped me since I left.”
Gardiner-Smith admits he’d love to return to professional football and is hoping helping fire Hungerford to promotion will go hand-in-hand with his dream of making it back to the top.
He said: “Everything I do is about returning to full time football; that’s my aim, to be a professional footballer again.
“All I do, on and off the pitch, is 100 per cent focused towards that goal.
“That’s what makes Hungerford the perfect place for me. We’re a promotion-chasing team and that would be one step closer to being full time again.”
While still a teenager, Gardiner-Smith swapped the UK for spells with two of Russia’s biggest clubs. When he was just 16 he moved to Moscow and spent a year with 13-time Russian Premier League champions CSKA.
When he was still at CSKA, he caught the attention of Zenit St Petersburg and ended up signing a professional deal with the 2008 UEFA Cup winner, who have been crowned Russian champions 10 times.
The midfielder, who learned the language while he was in Russia, had the chance to take on European powerhouse Sevilla before he returned home in 2018.
“It was amazing,” he said.
“I spent a year at CSKA Moscow. An agent I had at the time got me a trial at the club and I did well enough to be kept on there.
“It ended in not getting a professional contract but, due to the games I’d played against other Russian clubs, Zenit took me on trial.
“I managed to impress there and they invited me on a winter training camp with the B team. The manager there really liked me but he wanted to see me play in a game, so I played against Real Betis, Sevilla and Cadiz when we were on a trip to Spain.
“I got offered a professional contract which was an amazing moment in my career. I’m so blessed to be able to say I’ve played professionally for Zenit St Petersburg and it’s something I’m really proud of.”
Gardiner-Smith will be hoping to go straight into Danny Robinson’s squad for what promises to be a huge game on Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm at Bulpit Lane.
