Smith had trials with Stoke City, but after his discharge from National service he was signed to Liverpool on amateur terms in 1955.[2] He turned professional in 1957, but left the club for Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in 1959, having never turned out for the first-team.[2] He made his debut for Bournemouth in the Third Division against Reading in October 1959.[2] He scored three goals in ten games in 1959–60, two goals coming from penalty kicks.[2] He scored four times in thirty games in 1960–61, before he was transferred to Fourth Division side Crewe Alexandra in July 1961.[2]
Establishing himself in the first-team at Gresty Road in 1961–62 by missing just three league games, he helped the club to win promotion in third place in 1962–63, scoring five goals in forty league games.[2] He played nine games in 1963–64 before he was once again moved on.[2]
He was signed by Freddie Steele's Third Division Port Vale for £6,500 in October 1963.[1] He was a regular from his inception in the side, and posted 39 appearances in 1963–64, scoring five goals.[1] He lost his first-team place on Boxing Day 1964, when he damaged an eye in a 3–0 defeat to Hull City.[1] Upon his recovery he failed to regain his spot and was given a free transfer in April 1965, having scored twice in 28 appearances in 1964–65.[1]
He moved on to Fourth Division Southport, who were managed by his former Vale teammate Billy Bingham.[2] He was an ever-present in 1965–66, before he helped the "Sandgrounders" to win promotion as runners-up in 1966–67.[2]
He was given a free transfer to Cheshire County League side Altrincham in 1967.[2] After a second-place finish in 1967–68, the club became founder members of the Northern Premier League.[2] He played 34 league games of the inaugural 1968–69 season, before he won the Northern Premier League Challenge Cup with the club in 1970, after victory over Macclesfield Town.[2] He left the club at the end of the 1969–70 campaign. Upon leaving Moss Lane he turned out for Netherfield, then moved to Formby where he debuted in November 1975 a week after Alex Russell and played alongside his old Southport teammate Ambrose Clarke. He left the club for Fleetwood Hesketh.[2] He stayed involved in Formby for many years, managing their reserves side, and later returned as first-team manager in the mid-1980s, steering them to their second Liverpool Senior Cup final in 1985.