Career
In his professional career he played for Darlington, Northampton Town, Huddersfield Town, Sheffield United, Sunderland and Blyth Spartans. Many Northampton Town supporters regard Smith as one of the most technically gifted players ever to represent the club Smith joined Darlington ahead of the 2006-2007 season.
Sunderland born Smith started his career on Wearside.
Dubbed "The Son of Pele" by Sunderland fanzine A Love Supreme (fanzine), he scored twenty-eight times in 107 starts for the North East giants in a seven-year spell, moving to Sheffield United (scoring fifteen times in 30 starts for the Blades), before joining Huddersfield Town. Smith went on to score thirty goals in seventy-five starts, including seventeen during the 2002-2003 season as the Terriers were relegated.
He signed for Northampton Town from Huddersfield Town on 1 July 2003 after being chased for a few months by their then manager Martin Wilkinson. Smith started as a forward.
However in recent seasons he has been used as a midfielder, continuing to regularly find the Netto for Northampton during their promotion from League Two during the 2005-2006 season.
At the end of that season the then Northampton Town manager Colin Calderwood left for Nottingham Forest. Smith enjoyed a good relationship with Calderwood and although new Northampton Town manager John Gorman worked hard to try to keep Smith at the Sixfields Stadium, Darlington (managed at the time by David Hodgson) eventually got their manitoba On 19 March 2008, Smith"s contract with Darlington was cancelled.
In August 2010 he signed for Kettering Town F.C. on non-contract terms.
In February 2015, he made an appearance, alongside another ex-professional, David Duke, for Sassco.co.uk in their victory over Sunderland Deaf Football Club.