Clarets mourn passing of former player Freddie Smith

Smith had been suffering with dementia, a condition he was diagnosed with in 2017.

It was in January 1958 when he arrived at Turf Moor, signed as an amateur after being spotted by renowned scout Jack Hixon while playing for Northumberland Schoolboys.

In the early 1960s Smith began to establish himself in the reserve team and became an accomplished right-back.

He was instrumental in helping the Clarets win back-to-back Central League Championships in 1961/1962 and 1962/1963.

In November 1963 he made his first-team debut against Stoke City at the Victoria Ground, where he played as a left-back.

He continued to figure for the Clarets but due to the form of dependable John Angus at right-back struggled to sustain a regularly place in the first team.

He featured for the Clarets in their Inter-Cities Fairs Cup campaign in 1966/1967 and played in the famous ill-tempered tie in Naples.

Smith was sold to Portsmouth in 1970 for a fee of £10,000 and he went on to make over 80 league appearances for the south-coast club. He moved to Dallas Tornado in 1973 prior to returning to England to play briefly for Halifax Town in 1974.

In totalhe made a total of 107 appearances in league and cup competitions for the Clarets, scoring on one occasion against Arsenal in May, 1967.

After retiring from football, he became a milkman before running a newsagents and also a restaurant in Nelson. He leaves wife Jean with children Julian and Amanda.