Born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, he began his career at Burton Albion, which was then a non-League club, before moves to Crewe Alexandra and Derby County preceded his time at Cardiff City.

[12] Brayford was again linked with Derby as part of a joint £1m move to the Rams with teammate James Bailey,[13] with Crewe confirming that an offer for the pair, of around £1m, rising to £1.3m with add-ons and a percentage sell on clause, had been accepted.

Earning plaudits for his ability to combine an attacking role with his defensive duties, Brayford scored once (in a 4–1 home victory over Watford) and assisted three times, and was considered one of the star performers as Derby initially challenged for promotion (being 4th in the table in November 2010) before a run of 4 wins in 24 games saw them plummet down to 19th in the table by the end of April.

However, an injury in training, prior to the match against league leaders Southampton, ended a run of 59 consecutive appearances and caused him to miss his first minutes of Derby action since joining 15 months previously.

[29] Brayford's ever-present role in Derby's starting eleven during the season was apparently ended in early March when he sustained a torn hamstring.

[32] Brayford was unable to make the break into Cardiff's first team however, playing only two League Cup matches during the first half of the 2013–14 season.

[33] On 24 January 2014 Brayford joined Sheffield United on loan until the end of the season, to be reunited with Nigel Clough for the third time in his career,[34] and made his debut two days later in a 1–1 FA Cup draw with Fulham.

[35] Sporting a beard during his time with the Blades, Brayford became a cult figure with the fans,[36] as the team rose from the bottom of the table to finish seventh and reach the FA Cup semi-final.

[38] With Cardiff City back in the Championship following relegation from the Premier League, Brayford became first choice right-back for the Bluebirds and played 28 times in all competitions during the first half of the 2014–15 season.

[40] On 24 January 2015, Brayford signed for former loan club Sheffield United on a three-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £1.5 million.