Lifelong Everton fan and Boreham Wood defender Kane Smith will get to live out his childhood dream when his team travel to Goodison next month in the FA Cup fifth round.
In an interview with BBC Sport, Smith spoke about his love for the Toffees, taking after his dad who has also supported the Blues since he can remember.
Despite not being scouse, Smith said: “I follow my dad who supported Everton as a kid, and I’m so glad I did.”
Smith also goes to games whenever he can, despite playing himself on a Saturday.
He added: “Luckily some of the games are on a Sunday or midweek, so I manage to get down to the games with my old man.”
The non-league right back also spoke about his unlikely idol, former Everton right back Tony Hibbert.
After Boreham Wood’s shock victory against Bournemouth, Smith made the headlines after he swapped his match shirt for an Everton one which had Tony Hibbert on the back of it.
When asked about his hero, Smith said: “Hibbert optimizes everything Everton are about, he wears his heart on his sleeve and gave a 100% every games.
“I think if you ask any Everton fan, they’d say the same.”
Luton-born Smith also revealed the Everton shirt he wore was the first ever one he had and used his own pocket money to buy it when he was younger.
The prospect of playing at Goodison is overwhelming for Smith, who admitted he is going to be able to live out every fan dream.
“Coming up against your heroes, people you’ve watched week in week out is unbelievable. It’s something words can’t describe.”
Smith also spoke about the competition. He believes the FA Cup is the greatest competition in the world due to the opportunities it provides for the smaller clubs.
In terms of the actual game itself, Smith said: “As a team, we will always have that hope, but for me personally Everton have a bit too much for us.”
Everton vs Boreham Wood will take place on March 3, kick off 8.15pm.
(Featured photo courtesy of Kieran Clarke under creative commons licence, Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/goonerpower/12781406423)
