Gilbert Oswald Smith (25 November 1872 – 6 December 1943), familiarly known as G. O. Smith or simply as G. O. or Jo, was an English amateur footballer often referred to as "the first great centre forward". In addition, Smith played first-class cricket for Oxford University and Surrey. Smith was educated, from 1886 to 1892, at Charterhouse School, one of the principal nurseries of the Association Football game, and learned many of the skills that subsequently brought him fame while boarding at the school. He went on to study at Keble College, Oxford, and was by profession a school teacher, becoming headmaster of Ludgrove School, jointly with footballing colleague William Oakley from 1901 until 1934. He was unmarried. Club career Born in Croydon but the son of a Scottish merchant who settled in India, Smith played football for Oxford University, representing the team from his first year, winning three out of four Varsity matches played against Cambridge, and captaining Oxford in his final year. On going down from university, he joined the Corinthians, then the best-known amateur football club in Britain and one not only renowned for its promotion of the ideals of sportsmanship and fair play, but also fully capable of meeting the best professional teams of the day on equal terms. Smith's scoring record for the club – 132 goals in 137 matches – remains one of the best strike rates in the history of the game, equating to one goal for every 93 minutes played. From 1898 to 1902 Smith would also serve (jointly with William Oakley) as the Secretary of Corinthians. His record for the Casuals was even more impressive, with 42 goals in 29 appearances. In the course of his club career, Smith captained Corinthians in the first Sheriff of London Charity Shield fixture, a competition created to match the best professional and amateur teams in Britain. The match, played in 1898 against Sheffield United, proved controversial and with the score standing at 1–1 after 90 minutes, the professional side declined to play extra time because they had disagreed with several of the referee's decisions. Smith also scored the winning goal in Corinthians' memorable 2–1 Charity Shield win against the professionals of Aston Villa played at Crystal Palace in November 1900. International career Smith captained the England team on at least 13, and possibly as many as 16, occasions (early records are inexact) between 1896