second-string, he was called up to the first-team by Chelsea manager José Mourinho, and made his only appearance for the Chelsea first-team in the last game of the 2005–06 Premier League campaign, coming on as an 81st-minute substitute for Ricardo Carvalho in a 1–0 defeat to Newcastle United at St James' Park. On his first-team debut, Smith said – "It was amazing – just travelling up with the squad was great but to get on in front of more than 50,000 Geordies was incredible. The players are great, they are always trying to help me and they just told me to take my chance and enjoy the occasion". In the pre-season ahead of the 2006–07 campaign, Smith travelled with the first-team squad on their pre-season tour of the United States. Despite his involvement during pre-season, Smith would not feature again for the Chelsea first-team. Speaking of his time at the West London club, Smith said – "It was frustrating that I never really got the chance. I remember thinking I was involved, then I'd go on loan. I'd come back to a new manager and think I'd have another chance. I was always in and around the first team but things changed". Loan spells To further aid Smith's development, he was loaned out to Championship side Queens Park Rangers (QPR) on an initial one-month agreement in September 2006. He made his debut for QPR in the club's 2–1 away victory over Southampton on 30 September, coming on as a second-half substitute in the match. Smith made his first start on his home debut at Loftus Road in a 3–3 draw with Norwich City, a game in which he scored QPR's first goal of the match midway through the first-half. He scored again three days later, on 17 October 2006, hooking in a volley from a corner to briefly restore parity in a match QPR would go on to lose 2–1 to Derby County, subsequently ending their unbeaten run. After impressing during his month at QPR, his loan deal was extended by a further two months, with QPR manager John Gregory saying – "His professionalism is second to none and it is rubbing off on all the other lads in the squad. He's uncomplicated, goes about his job in the right manner and will only go from strength to strength. We feel very honoured to have a player of his class