Port Vale Kirkham was born in
Cobridge,
Stoke-on-Trent, and progressed from a promising schoolboy footballer through Cobridge Church and
Congleton Town before heading to
Sheffield to go through teacher training. Upon his return, numerous clubs approached him, but Kirkham joined local side
Port Vale after a successful trial in April 1920. He turned professional in August 1923, making his debut on 27 October at
Elland Road in 3–0 defeat by
Leeds United. He scored his first senior goal on 19 January 1924, in a 3–1 win over
Coventry City at
Highfield Road. He hit hat-tricks against
Grimsby Town,
South Shields,
Notts County, and Middlesbrough, and also hit four in a 7–1 win over Fulham. In the FA Cup, he earned the Vale a
replay against
Arsenal with the
equaliser in a 2–2 draw before the tie was lost at
Highbury. He never rediscovered his record-setting form, though he still hit 14 goals in 40 games in
1927–28. He was also briefly rested, as
Stewart Littlewood found a short period of good form. Though he scored 15 goals in 32 appearances in
1928–29, hitting a hat-trick against
Reading, the club suffered
relegation into the
Third Division North. Kirkham remained in the Second Division, after he
transferred to Stoke City for a £2,800 fee; this was a
club record for Stoke.
Stoke City Kirkham continued his impressive scoring record with the "Potters" and hit a hat-trick past
Nottingham Forest as he posted 15 goals in 27 games in
1929–30. He then a hit-trick past
Oldham Athletic, and went on to score 14 goals in 23 appearances in
1930–31. However, he
broke his leg on the opening day of the
1931–32 season, in a 2–1 home win over
Chesterfield. For both Potteries clubs he scored a total of 194 goals in 327 competitive games, an average of a goal every 1.7 games. ==Later life==