He notably played in the Football League for Rochdale, Burnley and Stockport County, but spent most of his career at Non-League level where he turned out for Morecambe, Witton Albion, Macclesfield Town, Kettering Town, Rushden & Diamonds, Dover Athletic, Stevenage Borough, Doncaster Rovers, Yeovil Town, Nuneaton Borough, Gainsborough Trinity, Leigh RMI, Woodley Sports and ending his career at New Mills in 2007.
After a brief trial with Manchester United in January 1988, Alford made his professional debut for Rochdale as a substitute but failed to impress and was later released.
After scoring 54 goals for Kettering Town in 18 months, Rushden & Diamonds offer of £85,000, a non-league record, was enough to persuade the Poppies to sell their prize asset and he arrived at Nene Park at the end of March 1996.
He made his debut in against promotion rivals Halesowen Town on 30 March 1996, scoring Diamonds goal in the 2–1 defeat.
He was dropped after just five games at the start of the 1997–98 season and was loaned to Dover Athletic in February 1998.