Easington born winger Paul Smith made his first team debut at Plymouth in November 2001, a match that saw Pools slip to the bottom of the League. For the remainder of that season he was an integral part of the side that stormed up the table to finish in the playoffs. Smith suffered a series of niggling injuries during 2002/03 which kept him out of the side for much of the promotion campaign. He left the following summer to join Sheffield Wednesday.