Fairhurst was born in
Blyth, Northumberland and started his football career at
Blyth Spartans before being signed by
Jimmy Torrance for
Walsall in June 1927. After two seasons playing for Walsall in the
Third Division South he was signed by
First Division Newcastle United for a fee of £1750 in March 1929. At Newcastle, Fairhurst was a consistent performer and gave the club over a decade of stout service. He took a while to get into the first team, and although he made his debut in a 2–1 victory at
Derby County on 27 April 1929 his next appearance was not until December, when he displaced Scottish international
Bob Thomson. From then on, Fairhurst was the first choice left-back for several seasons. He was an ever-present in the successful FA Cup campaign in
1932, in which Newcastle defeated
Arsenal in the final in rather controversial circumstances. Arsenal took an early lead, when
Joe Hulme beat Fairhurst and centred the ball to
Bob John who easily beat goalkeeper
Albert McInroy. Newcastle's equaliser came after a long ball had appeared to go over the goal line, and out for a goal kick; Newcastle winger
Jimmy Richardson nevertheless crossed the ball back into play and
Jack Allen levelled the match for the Magpies. The referee ruled that the ball had not gone out of play, even though photographic evidence later showed that the ball had actually crossed the line, and the goal stood. Allen scored again in the second half to win the match 2–1. The following year, Fairhurst became an international when he won his solitary England cap in the friendly against
France on 6 December 1933 at
White Hart Lane which England won 4–1, with two goals from
George Camsell. For Newcastle, Fairhurst was ever-present in
1932–33 and only missed two matches in
the following season, which ended in Newcastle being relegated to
Division Two. Fairhurst continued to be a first choice regular for the next few seasons, but the
Second World War brought his career to an end, although he did not officially announce his retirement until May 1946. In his Newcastle career, he made a total of 285 appearances, scoring twice. Both goals came in a 5–1 victory over
Nottingham Forest on 30 November 1935. ==Career after football==