The former England international is due to line up against Leeds United, his boyhood club, on Sunday in a pre-season friendly. Smith faced Leeds two years ago at St James' Park and was given a rough reception from the visiting faithful after he left the club for Manchester United in the wake of their relegation. The 30-year-old had been linked with a Leeds return, although this weekend's friendly is the closest he is likely to get to the club this summer as he has one year left on his Magpies contract. Smith is unsure as to what reception he will receive from the home fans, but he admits the club still have a special place in his heart having moulded him as a professional. "I don't know what the reception will be - we played them at St James' Park two seasons ago and I got a bad one then, so I am expecting the same at Elland Road," he told the Evening Chronicle. "I have been back to watch games but never as a player. It is not something I have really wanted to do to be honest. "I have a great affiliation with the club, they brought me through the game. I was an Academy player and a senior player when I left. "I am not going to go into details as to the destination I went to. I don't want to touch on it. People will express how they feel and I know that. "There has been a lot of talk about my future but I just want to continue playing football. It is something I have always loved doing ever since I was a kid. "I hope that whatever happens people have seen when I'm playing I am giving it everything."
