Morecambe Born in
Preston, Lancashire, Smith began his career with
Morecambe, having progressed through the club's youth system. He made his first-team debut in the
Football League Trophy fixture against
Grimsby Town on 18 October 2005, He joined
Northern Premier League First Division outfit
Fleetwood Town on
loan in January 2006 and made his debut in a 2–0 victory at home to
Belper Town on 28 January. He stayed at the club until April 2006, having made 16 appearances and scored one goal. On 31 May 2007, following Morecambe's
promotion to
League Two, Smith was released by
Sammy McIlroy alongside fellow Morecambe teammates Danny Meadowcroft and Thomas Pickersgill.
Forest Green Rovers in 2010 Smith completed his
free transfer move to
Conference Premier club
Forest Green Rovers on 3 July 2007 and became an influential member of the squad during his three-year stay at the club. He was a part of the side that made it to the
FA Cup third round during the
2008–09 season and scored in Forest Green's 4–3 loss to
Derby County on 3 January 2009. Like his career at Forest Green, Smith also helped York to a credible FA Cup run, playing in their five matches before being eliminated in the
third round by
Premier League club
Bolton Wanderers on 8 January 2011. Smith joined the Wiltshire club for an officially undisclosed fee of £30,000. He finished
2011–12 with 48 appearances and three goals, with 38 of those appearances coming in the league,
Return to York City Having been
transfer listed by Swindon at the end of the season, Smith returned to York City after signing for the newly promoted League Two club on a two-year contract on 21 July 2012. He made his second debut for York in their match away at
League One club
Doncaster Rovers in the
League Cup first round on 11 August 2012, which they lost 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out following a 1–1 draw after
extra time.
Luton Town On 5 November 2012, Smith was loaned out to Conference Premier club
Luton Town until 5 January 2013, having played in 13 matches for York in
2012–13. He made his debut the following day in a 1–0 defeat at
Hereford United. This proved to be his final appearance in his loan spell for Luton, as he was recalled by York on 11 December 2012, having scored once in six appearances for the Bedfordshire team. Smith was disappointed at the recall, having previously expressed his desire to stay at Luton and experience "playing in front of a big crowd every week". On 29 December 2012, it was confirmed that Smith would make a permanent move to Luton on 1 January 2013, signing a one-and-a-half-year contract after the two clubs agreed a fee of £50,000. He made 28 appearances as a permanent player for Luton in
2012–13, Smith became a constant presence in central midfield during the first half of Luton's
2013–14 season, which helped to propel the club into second place in the table. However, a mistimed challenge from
Jon Nurse in a 2–1 win over
Barnet on 26 December 2013 saw Smith suffer a "horrific" Luton won promotion to League Two with three matches of 2013–14 remaining, and Smith came on as a late
substitute four months to the day after his injury in a 1–0 victory over
Hyde on the last day of the campaign. In
2014–15, Smith returned fully fit to Luton's
starting lineup in a 1–0 home win over
Cheltenham Town on 13 September 2014. His return coincided with an 11-match unbeaten league run that placed the club at the top of the table. Luton's form fell away in the final months of the season, winning only three times in their last 13 matches, resulting in the club finishing in eighth position. However, Smith's influence on the campaign saw him awarded the Players' Player of the Year and Luton Town Website Player of the Year accolades. At the end of the season he signed a three-year contract extension with the club. Smith scored Luton's first goal of
2015–16 on 8 August 2015, deflecting in a
Craig Mackail-Smith shot to earn the club a 1–1 draw with
Accrington Stanley. He scored twice during a run of four consecutive league wins from late September to early October, However, Luton's inconsistent form throughout the season resulted in the club finishing in 11th position. He began
2016–17 by scoring Luton's third goal in second half
stoppage time on the opening day of the season in a 3–0 win away to
Plymouth Argyle, having entered the match as an 88th-minute substitute. Having predominantly played as a substitute early in the season, manager
Nathan Jones said "I told him to be patient, because he's a key member of our squad". On his second start of the season, Smith scored Luton's second goal in a 2–1 win away to
Gillingham in the
EFL Trophy on 30 August 2016. Smith forced his way into the first-team at the turn of the year, starting 11 of the next 15 league matches, before losing his place in the team for the final nine league matches of the season. and finished the season with 35 appearances and two goals.
Stevenage On 7 August 2017, Smith signed for League Two club
Stevenage on an undisclosed-length contract, after being allowed to leave Luton by mutual consent.
Chesterfield Smith joined
National League club
Chesterfield on 18 September 2018 on a 93-day loan. Smith signed an 18-month deal with the club on 8 November 2018, after having his Stevenage contract cancelled by mutual consent. Smith became
club captain in December 2018, starting with the 2–0 victory over
Salford City.
FC United of Manchester In August 2021, he signed for
Northern Premier League Premier Division side
F.C. United of Manchester on a free transfer. ==Career statistics==