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Fitness is Smith's primary aim
Ben Smith's 2002/03 season was ruined thanks to a pre-season injury at Bromsgrove Rovers, where he broke his ankle in a friendly match. However, the Londoner is eager to regain the form that took him into the Football League from Yeovil Town to Southend United a couple of years ago, and gain promotion with Hereford United.
So far, things are looking up. Smith has come through pre-season injury-free, and the team's performances have been good too. He told HU-FC.co.uk: "It's nice to get back into it and, personally, I'm just looking to keep as injury-free as possible. The boys have had some good results and we're looking really good.
"Last season I didn't start my first game until November 30th and then I only had half the season left. Everyone else is a lot further ahead fitness-wise and you can't get that back really. I wasn't properly fit until January or February. This time, I'll be as fit as everyone at the start of the season and will get a full campaign."
As Smith got an injury this time last year, he can sympathise with David Brown, who broke his collarbone in a pre-season training clash. "I don't think David's injury is as bad as first thought," said the midfielder. "I think he was only going to be out for six or eight weeks. Hopefully we can get him back as we are expecting him to score quite a few goals this season.
"Last year, Steve Guinan got fifteen goals but he was pretty much left by himself and didn't really have a regular partner. I think Steve will get his fifteen again this year, and if David Brown gets another fifteen then that's a good base for us. We're looking to get twenty or thirty goals from midfield as well, and if we do that, we'll by up the top."
As with several players, Smith faces a fight for his first-team spot. He continued: "In midfield, there is a lot of competition for places. Paul Parry's the only left-winger but if you look at all the other midfielders, there's Danny Williams, Rob Purdie, Jordan King and Jamie Pitman will all be playing centre midfield as well so it's the one place in the team where there is a lot of competition."
Smith knows the Conference, having played for several years at Yeovil and then last season at Edgar Street, and reckons if Hereford are to gain promotion, they face a tough task.
He commented: "It's a lot more open than it was last year, when Yeovil were by far the best team. This year, you'll have Chester up there again, I fancy Dagenham & Redbridge to be strong, Morecambe will be strong again, Telford have spent a few quid, Stevenage will be up there. It'll be the same old story, with ten or twelve teams going for the five places.
"We've got to be looking to do better than sixth. We'll be disappointed if we're not in the play-offs. We've kept fourteen of the squad, and we've added to it, and once we get a right-back in then we'll be stronger than last year. The key is getting a good start, and to keep the momentum going. We proved, when we went on that run of getting sixteen points out of eighteen, that if you put a steady amount of points together and don't lose games, then you're going to move up the table."
With Smith's problems last season, there was some speculation over whether he would gain a new deal at the club, but Graham Turner felt he was worth the investment.
"The way football's going, everyone's only getting one year deals," said Smith. "Every year, there are going to be six or seven hundred people out of contract. There's no security in it at the moment, and not much money, but it's still a good life."