Smith can be key for Crusaders as midfielder targets immediate return to National League South
Tough tackling Hungerford Town midfielder George Smith is confident he can fill the void left by departing talisman Louis McGrory and help the Crusaders bounce back to the National League South.
Smith - combative, full-blooded and all-action - has come into his own under boss Danny Robinson and his committed approach has made him a firm fan favourite at Bulpit Lane.
No stranger to the referee's notebook, Smith was a regular in the side last season until a knee injury sidelined him for most of the run-in, leaving him powerless to prevent Hungerford's relegation to the Southern Premier League South.
In the two months since then, Robinson's recruitment seems to have breathed new life into the Crusaders - supporters and players alike - and, with the new look squad having returned to pre-season training on Saturday, Smith feels his side are well-placed to have a successful season.
"It's so good to be back," he said.
"It feels like we didn't have a lot of time off but it's exciting.
"The nicest thing is being back in the football environment.
"Getting back in the changing room, seeing the lads and meeting the new lads is what it's all about.
"I'm really looking forward to it."
Smith and the rest of the Crusaders cohort will be getting used to a number of new faces, with Robinson having moved quickly to strengthen in all departments.
On paper, Hungerford now look to be well stocked in most areas of the pitch, with an experienced goalkeeper in Oxford United legend Ryan Clarke, proven goalscorers in Conor McDonagh and David Bremang and a strong spine in midfield, which Smith will hope to form the heart of.
Smith, who met his new teammates when the Crusaders got back out onto the grass at the weekend, feels his side have the right balance to succeed next term.
He said: "All the new lads seem great.
"We've got a bit more experience this season and I think that'll really help us.
"It already feels like we could gel really well together as a group."
The combative midfielder has now spent several seasons at Bulpit Lane, meaning he knows the club and its values and is in one sense one of the more experienced players.
And Smith hopes to put that experience to good use both on the pitch and in the dressing room.
"I think I definitely have a role to play there," he said.
"I know nearly all the fans and people in the area.
"Even though there will be a few lads that are quite a bit older than me, I've got experience of the league above and of course what it means to play for this club.
"I'll be looking to help out however I can."
Following the disappointment of last season's relegation, which brought the curtain down on an eight season stint in the National League South, Hungerford have set about something of a rebuild.
However it was no doubt important that Robinson managed to keep hold of a number of his most popular players, Smith included.
The midfielder wears his heart on his sleeve, has an instinctive sense of danger and an inherent desire to do whatever it takes to help his side succeed and should have all the tools to do well at this new level.
Smith admits there was interest from elsewhere, but a desire to help the club return to the National League South and his relationship with Robinson meant he didn't have to think too hard about committing to the Crusaders for another season.
He said: "Promotion is without a doubt the aim.
"Danny told me he was putting a strong squad together to challenge for promotion and that I was on his list.
"I had some offers from other clubs but it wasn't really a difficult decision at all.
"I think we've got some unfinished business.
"To me, it would have felt wrong to jump ship the season after we were relegated because I was part of that squad that went down.
"Hungerford's a club I really do love playing for.
"If we hit the ground running then I think we'll have the firepower to blow teams away.
"It would be amazing to go straight back up."
You'd be hard pushed to find someone more competitive and combative on the pitch and yet as down to earth and approachable off it as Smith.
Yet he was reduced to the role of spectator as the Crusaders scrapped for their lives at the end of last term, with the doggid midfielder sidelined with a knee injury.
"It was very difficult," he said.
"I had to sit there and watch the lads battle and fight and there wasn't anything I could do, it ripped me apart.
"All I could try and do was be there for the boys in the changing room, on the coach, at training and even in the group chat."
Smith was out on the grass with the rest of his teammates on Saturday but is still managing his return, meaning it looks likely he'll play a bit part in Hungerford's upcoming pre-season schedule, including a trip to see former chairman Patrick Chambers at new club Gloucester City.
He said: "I wouldn't say I'm fully fit but I'm getting there.
"I'd play with one knee if I had to.
"It just takes time with knees so I've got to manage it but I'm hoping come the start of the season I'll be firing on all cylinders.
"I'd love to get some minutes in the tank in pre-season but I've got to get my knee strong first."
Last season's player of the season Louis McGrory has joined Chambers at National League North side Gloucester City while fellow midfielders Callum Willmoth and James Rusby moved on midway through last season.
Smith, who shares Willmoth's willingness to run through brick walls for the side and McGrory's talent for reading the game, feels he can be the man to step up and dominate the midfield ahead of the coming campaign.
"I'll do whatever I've got to do, I'll leave it all out there for the side," he said.
"I'll run and run and I'll fight tooth and nail to help us get results.
"As one of the more experienced players now, I do feel a responsibility to show some of the other lads what it means to represent Hungerford.
"Last season, when Callum left and Lou was injured, I showed I can step up and I think I can do that more regularly now this season."
With just over a month to go until the new campaign kicks-off, Smith is well aware of the importance of making a fast start.
He said: "The first couple of weeks are some of the most crucial.
"We're all going to be on it.
"If we start with a few wins then I think we can upset a lot of people."
