Inverness Athletic defender becomes first man to reach 100 games with North Caledonian League club
LIAM Smith has made history after becoming the first player to play 100 games for Inverness Athletic.
The 23-year-old right-back officially became the North Caledonian League club’s first ever centurion when he featured in their 4-0 victory at Golspie Sutherland on Saturday.
First playing for the club as a teenager eight years ago, the surfacing operator has spent most of his football career with Athletic, briefly leaving to play in the youth set-up at Clachnacuddin.
But he has become a mainstay in the Athletic first team and is proud to go down in the history books as the first player to reach 100 games with the club.
He said: “I was aware it was my 100th game and it should have came around a while ago, but we have had games cancelled with the weather and are a few games behind.
“I am proud to have the record, I have played for the club since I was 16 and all my friends are here, so it means a lot to be the first.
“Thankfully I have been injury free for a few years and have managed to get a lot of games for the club.”
Smith originally joined the club in 2017 after impressing management during a friendly.
He said that he has seen a lot of changes at the club since his first match. But the fact he has been in the same team with friends he has known since his youth has been a major factor in him staying at Athletic.
“I played my first year with Athletic in 2017, but I ended up going back to Clachnacuddin Under-20s as a few of my friends were playing for them at the time.
“Playing alongside my friends has been the highlight of my time with Athletic. I have known a lot of them since school and we have grown up together with the team.
“There has been big changes, but that happens with football clubs, a lot of players have left and a lot of players have come in. We have a good core in the squad with a lot of players having been here a long time now, the same as me. Hopefully we can push on to better things.”
Inverness Athletic are enjoying their best ever season since they were launched in 2016. They claimed their first ever senior trophy when they won the Football Times Cup final in December.
They are still in the title hunt in the North Caledonian League, despite being nine points behind leaders Halkirk United, they have three games in hand with six matches remaining.
With one trophy in the cabinet this season, Smith says the team are ambitious to claim more silverware before the campaign is over.
He said: “Winning the Football Times a few months ago was the biggest moment in the club’s history.
“We have beat everyone we have played against including both of the top two and there is no reason we can’t go undefeated until the end of the season.
“Hopefully we can push the top two to make mistakes in the final run in.
“We would have been happy with a cup at the start of the season, but pushing for a title and getting another good run in the North Caledonian Cup would top the season off.”
