Holdcroft played for local clubs, Biddulph, Norton Druids and Whitfield Colliery, before joining
Port Vale as an amateur in August 1926, signing professional forms the following month. He only played ten
Second Division games for the Vale, six in
1926–27 and four in
1927–28, before being handed a
free transfer to
Third Division North club
Darlington in May 1928. He was the firm first choice for the club and played more than 83 games in his three years at
Feethams. The club struggled at the foot of the table in
1928–29, before finishing third in
1929–30 and 11th in
1930–31. In 1931, he was signed by
Everton of the
First Division. The "Toffees" won the league title in
1931–32. However, Holdcroft failed to get into the first-team at
Goodison Park and moved to
Preston North End of the Second Division. He went on to play in 172 consecutive league and
FA Cup matches for the "Lambs". A ninth-place finish in
1932–33 was followed by
promotion in
1933–34. Top-flight football at
Deepdale continued right up until the outbreak of
World War II, as Preston finished 11th in
1934–35, 7th in
1935–36, 14th in
1936–37, third in
1937–38 and ninth in
1938–39. Holdcroft also played in the
1938 FA Cup final victory over
Huddersfield Town at
Wembley, keeping a
clean sheet over 120 minutes in a 1–0 win. During the war he guested for
Accrington Stanley,
Barnsley,
Burnley,
Bury,
Oldham Athletic,
Manchester United and
Southport, and also played for
non-League clubs
Leyland Motors,
Morecambe and
Chorley. ==International career==