Alex Smithies reveals 'shock' he had leaving Huddersfield Town for QPR | OneFootball

Alex Smithies has spoken to Football League World about his transfer from Huddersfield Town to Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 2015

Alex Smithies has exclusively spoken to Football League World about his transfer from his boyhood club, Huddersfield Town, to Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 2015.

The goalkeeper made his senior Terriers debut in December 2007 and went on to make 274 appearances before joining QPR almost eight years later.

He made 109 outings for the West London outfit before joining Cardiff City in the summer of 2018, ahead of an eventual move to Leicester City.

Smithies joined Leicester in the summer of 2022, but never featured for the Foxes before announcing his retirement in January 2024.

Alex Smithies reveals what shocked him following transfer switch from Huddersfield Town to Queens Park Rangers

Smithies made himself a Huddersfield hero by saving two penalties in the shootout win over Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United in the 2012 League One play-off final.

He then helped the Terriers retain their Championship status before joining QPR in the summer of 2015, and was an ever-present between the sticks in both the 2012/13 and 2013/14 second-tier seasons.

FLW asked the 36-year-old if leaving Huddersfield, where he'd been his whole career, to join the R's was a culture shock.

Smithies said: "It's football in a nutshell. I'd just signed a three-year contract at Huddersfield, but another club have made a bid for me that the club were happy with, and it was accepted.

"So, from signing a three-year contract to getting that news, probably in the space of a few months. It was on the Wednesday, and then on the Friday night I was driving down to London.

"I must admit it was a shock. It was a pretty difficult conversation with my wife. This is someone that's never been out and played for another club.

"I'd never been on loan. I'd always been at Huddersfield since the age of eight, so it was a shock. It was a little bit of a culture shock, because I'd come from a dressing room that was primarily British.

"It's a Yorkshire team, it's very down-to-earth, club culture. To QPR, which famously had many characters, some of them quite flash, that I wasn't used to.

"Lots of great people there, though, I must admit, but it took a little bit of time to settle. There's often a lot of things that are going on away from the pitch in order to help me perform."

Alex Smithies was an outstanding performer for QPR in 2016/17

QPR have never returned to the Premier League since suffering relegation from the top flight in 2015, nor have they qualified for the Championship play-offs since last winning promotion in 2014.

The 2016/17 second-tier season was particularly disappointing for the West London outfit, as they finished 18th in the league, just two points clear of the relegation zone, and 27 points adrift of the top six.

However, R's fans will fondly remember Smithies' strong displays between the sticks in the Championship that term, as he was named as their players' player of the season and supporters' player of the season.

As per FotMob, the eventual Cardiff man made a whopping 136 saves in the second tier that season, while maintaining seven clean sheets.