Jackson William Smith (born 14 October 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL League Two club Port Vale.
Smith joined the Academy at Wolverhampton Wanderers at the age of eight and turned professional at the club in December 2018. He had loan spells wih non-League football with Frickley Athletic and Kettering Town, before signing with Walsall in July 2023 following a successful loan spell. He moved on to Barnsley 12 months later. He had loan spells at Grimsby Town and Rochdale, before he was sold to Port Vale in June 2026.
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Career
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Smith joined the Academy at Wolverhampton Wanderers at the age of eight. He attended the club’s partner school, Thomas Telford, where he became the first Wolves apprentice to attain the highest possible mark in GCSE maths – grade nine, and attain an Outstanding Achievement Award. He turned professional at the club in December 2018 after playing at Molineux in the FA Youth Cup. On 7 October 2020, he joined Northern Premier League Division One South East side Frickley Athletic on loan until January. He signed a contract extension at Wolves in May 2021.
He was loaned out to Kettering Town on 14 August 2021. He competed for a first-team place with Rhys Davies, with manager Paul Cox praising both men for their performances and attitudes. The loan was extended until the end of the 2021–22 season. He kept 12 clean sheets in 31 National League North matches. He agreed a new two-year contract with Wolves in June 2022. Having played pre-season friendlies against Levante, Farense and Besiktas, he was promoted to the Wolves first-team squad under Bruno Lage in September 2022 to act as back up to José Sá and Matija Sarkic.
Walsall
Smith moved on loan to League Two club Walsall on 27 January 2023. The move was welcomed by Walsall's first-choice goalkeeper Owen Evans, who manager Michael Flynn said Smith had been signed to provide with "much-needed competition". He made his debut on 29 April, appearing as a half-time substitute for the injured Evans, and his performance was praised by new manager Mat Sadler. He returned to the Bescot Stadium on a permanent basis after being sold to Walsall for an undisclosed fee on 21 July 2023, signing a one-year deal. On 16 March 2024, he was named in the EFL Team of the Week after saving a Noah Chilvers penalty during a 1–1 draw at Colchester United. He played 32 games in all competitions and won the club's 2023–24 Young Player of the Year award.
Barnsley
On 9 July 2024, Smith signed for League One club Barnsley on a four-year deal, with the option for a further year, for an undisclosed fee. Manager Darrell Clarke said he was a "long-term project" and the intention was for him to initially leave Oakwell on loan to find gametime elsewhere. Gabriel Slonina and Ben Killip were ahead of him in the pecking order at Oakwell. On 1 October 2024, Smith signed for League Two club Grimsby Town on an initial emergency seven-day loan after the injury of both of Grimsby's senior goalkeepers. The loan was extended three times to run until 28 October. He appeared a total of seven times during his time at Blundell Park. He made his full debut for Barnsley in a 2–1 win over Northampton Town on 25 February 2025. He played six games for the Tykes before picking up an injury in Conor Hourihane's first match in charge. He remained injured for the rest of the 2024–25 season and did not feature in the summer's pre-season friendly games.
He trained with Forest Green Rovers in August 2025. On 10 October, Smith joined National League club Rochdale on an emergency seven-day loan. Manager Jimmy McNulty, a former Barnsley defender, needed cover for an FA Cup qualification game, a defeat to York City at Spotland. On 20 December, Smith returned to League Two club Grimsby Town on a seven-day emergency loan following an injury to Christy Pym. This was later extended for a further seven days. He kept three clean sheets in his three games during this period. On 8 January, his loan was extended until the end of the 2025–26 season. He conceded just 22 goals in 26 league games, keeping 13 clean sheets, to help the Mariners collect more points than anyone in the division and qualify for the play-offs. Manager David Artell made Pym available for transfer and tried to secure a permanent move for Smith.
Port Vale
On 19 June 2026, Smith signed for League Two club Port Vale for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract. Manager Jon Brady said he had "proven he has what it takes to provide a steady and reassuring presence at the back". However, on 5 September, Smith made what BBC Sport described as a "calamitous goalkeeping error" to allow a tame free-kick into his net in a 1–0 defeat at Salford City.
Style of play
Speaking in 2024, Barnsley's Sporting Director, Mladen Sormaz, described Smith as an "exciting young goalkeeper... a good shot-stopper, he can play with his feet and commands his box well".
Career statistics
As of match played 12 September 2026
Honours
Individual
Walsall Supporters' Young Player of the Season: 2023–24