Smith joined Chelsea aged nine and went on to spend 13 years at the club before he was shown the door in 2009 after realising that he was fighting a losing battle to beat the likes of Frank Lampard and Michael Essien to a first-team place.
The 24-year-old went on loan to QPR, Norwich, Sheffield Wednesday and Orient before signing a permanent deal at Brisbane Road in the summer of 2009. He left the Blues with just nine minutes of game time to show for his time there, as a late substitute against Newcastle.
He admits losing out on the dream of playing for the Barclays Premier League champions hurt, and is determined to prove his former employers that they made a mistake by continuing his recent good scoring form against the Gunners.
"Leaving Chelsea was heart-breaking," he said. "I was there for a long time but I looked at myself at the time and I felt like I needed to move on and think about myself. I wanted to be playing every week. I didn't just want to be a number. That's why I decided to leave.
"Moving has made me a better person and footballer. I feel like I needed to take a step back and hopefully I will end up taking two steps forward. I know I can. The Arsenal match is a chance for me to show that I can cut it at the top level. Everyone wants to prove themselves to a lot of people and I'm no different. I'll be playing against Arsenal, who are one of the best teams in the world, and I want to go out there and do the best I can."
Source: PA
Source: PA