Career
His career was ended by the spinal condition ankylosing spondylitis. At age 15 Small was the number 1 under 19 player in Scotland. He turned Pro the following year.
He reached the quarter finals of the LG Cup in the following season.
2003/2004 season ended with him having to pull out of a World Championship match against Alan McManus while trailing 1–7, as the regular steroid injections he required in his neck caused problems with his vision. The 2004/2005 season was disastrous for him, he lost all his ranking tournament matches, and in September 2005 he announced his retirement from the game.
Small then started coaching other players, but by 2009 his condition had worsened and he had to give up coaching. His career-high break was a 141.
In January 2007, he applied for a grant from a trust fund for players who have fallen on hard times from the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association but was rejected.
This decision, stemming from Small"s refusal to provide a £250 medical certificate, has been criticised by figures including Jimmy White, Graeme Dott ("Everybody in the game that I’ve spoken to is behind him") and Clive Everton. In 2012, improved medication allowed Small to return to coaching, one of his players being current snooker professional Michael Leslie. Ranking wins: (1) Minor Ranking wins: (1).