Connaughton began his career at Manchester United, turning professional in 1966, but made just three first-team appearances in April 1972.
He joined Sheffield United in October 1972 for a £15,000 fee but only played 12 games for the club before he transferred to Port Vale in May 1974.
[6] He turned professional in October 1966, but would have to wait almost six years for his United debut, despite playing three games for England youth in 1967 and 1968.
[2] However, United had a wide variety of goalkeeping talent in Alex Stepney, Jimmy Rimmer, Harry Gregg, David Gaskell and Pat Dunne; this meant Connaughton played only three first-team matches for the club.
He worked well with goalkeeping coach Alan Hodgkinson, but was given a free transfer after Ken Furphy replaced John Harris as manager.
[9] Connaughton missed eight games in 1977–78 due to a knee injury, but remained Vale's first-team keeper as the club suffered relegation into the Fourth Division.
[7] "Alty" dropped to 11th place in 1981–82, though won one last success in the form of the Cheshire Senior Cup final, following a 1–0 win over Runcorn.
[7] He retired at the end of the season at the age of 32, due to business commitments; he played a total of 127 games for Altrincham, winning 47 clean sheets.
[7] Port Vale teammate Brian Horton praised his qualities as an all-round goalkeeper, his kicking ability, as well as his character.