Matt Smith reflects on his time at Millwall and why the time was right to end his Den career

Matt Smith’s burning desire to increase his game time was a major factor in ending his Millwall career.

The 32-year-old striker signed for Salford City last week.

A big part of the reason behind his switch to the League Two club was that it paved the way for Smith to be back full time in the family home.

His wife gave birth to their son on Saturday, the new arrival coming soon after the big centre-forward made his debut for the Ammies.

Smith scored 13 goals in 41 Championship appearances in the 2019-20 season, his first in Millwall colours after joining from QPR. But after that his starts dropped. Fifty-eight of his 91 league matches for the South Londoners came off the bench.

“I had an honest conversation with the manager [Gary Rowett] pre-Christmas about where I stood,” said Smith, who featured 102 times in total for the Lions. “I was commuting up and down the country – that’s fine when you’re contributing. But when you’re not, well, I just found it a tough 18 months.

“I think last season, the Covid one, and the first half of this season that I’d made 13 starts [in the league] which I could never really be content with.

“The manager knew that. We’ve always had very open dialogue – from the minute he walked through the door. I remember, as one of the senior lads, him pulling me into a meeting from the very get go. I’ve always totally respected the manager – he has never given me false hope or made false promises.

“In my first season the team probably had a different identity to what it has now and I probably benefited from that.

“In the second season we became a little more counter-attacking and I was probably the main victim to suffer in terms of game time. We had more fluidity up front.

“It was never a case of the manager not wanting me in the building or not seeing value in me. He has to live and die by the decisions he makes tactically – unfortunately that wasn’t my skill-set and it didn’t marry up to the way he wanted to play.

“My frustration probably grew and grew and there was only so much he could do to keep me motivated, because ultimately your reward and release is being out on that pitch on a Saturday. I wasn’t getting that.

“I persevered as much as I could. I was disappointed last season with my five-goal haul – off the back of a 14-goal haul previously – and I probably didn’t see things improving.

“I felt I wasn’t impacting all that much as my game time got less.

“The manager said if something came up that he wouldn’t be selfish enough to stand in my way.”

Smith had been a free agent last summer but ended up re-signing on reduced terms.

“It was the option I felt was most appropriate at the time,” he said. “Millwall offered me a renewal and I  had a period of time to think about it.

“I certainly had enjoyed one half of my time at Milwall and maybe I was thinking I could recapture that form and game time from the first season.

“It just wasn’t to be. It grew quite apparent as the months progressed that I wasn’t going to be featuring half as much as I did in year one. That’s when you think, with the January window opening, that it is time for pastures new.”

Smith has plied his trade in the capital since he joined Fulham in September 2014.

He switched to their west London rivals QPR early in 2017 before then Lions boss Neil Harris – a long-term admirer – paid £300,000 in the summer of 2019.

“My wife runs her own business in Cheshire and our family home has been there for a number of years,” said Smith. “My flat in Fulham has served me well but my family life has always been based up north.

“I’ve had my boy born after my debut on Saturday – so there has been a lot of change in the space of a week. But from a personal perspective it has come at a good time because I’m delighted to be able to spend as much time as I can with him.”

Smith was popular with Lions fans – his stoppage-time winner against Charlton at The Den certainly helping in that respect.

“In that first season I think I was bearing down on the likes of Moro [Steve Morison] and Darius Henderson for the most goals ever scored in a Championship season by a Millwall player,” he said. “I tried to get there but I just fell short.

“The fans saw a healthy goal return in season one and some really good moments – particularly Charlton and Forest [when Smith scored a hat-trick at the City Ground].

“But in the last 18 months it became harder mentally. Even just coming off the bench, I had less and less time to impact games.”

Smith reckons that Millwall had the best dressing room dynamic of his career.

“It’s set by the characters in the dressing room and Pearcey [Alex Pearce] is very much the leader,” said Smith. “He sets a unique tone for the room and everyone buys into it. I’ll miss that side of things.

“It all clicked and worked. It makes it that much more pleasurable coming into work and then at the weekend you want to be out there fighting with your mates.

“Football is a small world, the circles that people move in, and I’ve no doubt I’ll be back – hopefully in a playing capacity in a cup game.”