Smart trialled at both Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland in 2018.
Sam Smart hopes another club will take a chance on him after Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday declined the opportunity to do so.
The Basingstoke winger had trials at both clubs in 2018 – assisting for Sheffield Wednesday’s Under-23s against Hallam in pre-season and winning a penalty for Sunderland’s against Middlesbrough in late November.
But despite having felt he was good enough for Sunderland in particular, Smart is back playing his trade in English football’s seventh tier.
Speaking to the Portsmouth News this week, the 20-year-old said: “At the start of the season, I had a trial at Sheffield Wednesday but nothing came from it. I was still pretty excited to go to Sunderland, though, and I thought it went pretty well.
“I was up there for two weeks. Because the under-23s had a game the day I arrived, I trained with the under-18s for a bit. Then when the under-23s returned, I worked with them and I felt I was up there with their level. Obviously, I thought I did really well but it didn’t turn out how I wanted it to.
“My agent told me I’ve got to keep playing well, keep getting noticed and hopefully something else can happen. What he told me afterwards was that I was good enough – or even better – to play for the under-23s. But Sunderland are looking to get promoted this season and said I wouldn’t be ready for the first team.
“The main thing I took from the experience was the intensity Sunderland trained at compared to what I’m used to. I’ve never been in an academy before so I’m not really used to it week-in, week-out. The level of intensity is what I want to do – it was unbelievable.”
Smart scored 20 goals in 41 games for Basingstoke last season, but has only managed two in 11 this time around.
It remains to be seen whether the Hampshire native will now be allowed to settle, or get to spent time at another league club in the second half of the campaign.
Should Wednesday / Sunderland have taken a chance on Smart?
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