Appointing as Bury's manager in 1973, he led the club to promotion out of the Football League Fourth Division in 1973–74, before he was sacked in November 1977.
Quickly installed as Port Vale manager, he moved on to Swindon Town the following year, having failed to prevent the club from suffering relegation.
Spending time as a coach at Blackpool, he returned to management in 1985 with Newport County, as the club were in financial meltdown; he departed the following year.
Smith moved to Grimsby Town, for a fee of £8,000, but failed to prevent Don McEvoy's Mariners from slipping into the Fourth Division in 1967–68.
Goodwin chided the Goldstone Ground supporters for barracking Smith in January 1970, writing in the matchday programme that "he has done nothing to warrant this behaviour".
[3] Both teams struggled at the foot of the Football League, with Len Ashurst's Pools finishing just above the re-election places in 1971–72 and 1972–73.
His first game in charge was a 0–0 draw with Midland Counties League side Arnold in the First Round of the FA Cup.
In February, Vale beat Fort Lauderdale Strikers in a friendly, but also started a five-game sequence without a win.
[5] Ged Stenson arrived the next month from Everton for a 'bargain' £3,000, and John Lumsdon joined on loan from Stoke City.
[5] Smith was appointed as manager of Swindon Town in May 1978, with the club having to pay a compensation fee of £10,500 to Port Vale.
[1] His two signings, Alan Mayes and Andy Rowland, formed a deadly strike partnership, and were both selected on the PFA Team of the Year.
[6] The following season Swindon beat Stoke City, Wimbledon and Arsenal to reach the League Cup semi-final.
[6] Having spent large amounts of money, particularly on £150,000 left-back David Peach and £110,000 midfielder Glenn Cockerill, expectations were high at Swindon for the 1980–81 season.
[7] With four more managerial changes (Kevin Cullis, Jan Mølby as player-manager and Jimmy Rimmer as caretaker manager on two occasions), the Swans finished 1995–96 in the Second Division relegation zone.
In 1996, Smith was appointed to the coaching staff at Sheffield Wednesday by David Pleat, where he performed a variety of roles before leaving in the summer of 1999.