He then had brief loan spells at Blackburn Rovers and Port Vale, before signing with Birmingham City for a £150,000 fee in the 1991–92 Third Division promotion-winning season.

An England U16 international,[3] Beckford began his career at Manchester City in 1987–88, who were then a Second Division side under the stewardship of Mel Machin.

Towards the end of the 1990–91 season, new manager Peter Reid allowed Beckford to drop down a division to play four games on loan at Don Mackay's Blackburn Rovers.

John Rudge – who had sold his brother Darren a few months earlier – brought Beckford on loan to Port Vale in September as cover for the injured Keith Houchen.

Beckford's only appearances in the 1993–94 season came at Gigg Lane in a three-game loan spell with Mike Walsh's Bury after coming back from long-term injury at Birmingham.

He made four substitute appearances for Ian Atkins's "Cobblers", before announcing his retirement at Sixfields due to the persistent knee injury.

After leaving this post in April 2007, he returned to Bolton in 2008 as part of the club's restructured youth academy, and also worked as the under-16 coach alongside Steve Morgan at Oldham Athletic.

[10] He departed the club at the end of 2023, after leading Rovers to the league title that season with victory over Scrosoppi in the play-off final.