Whilst playing for Overseal Town, he was spotted by scouts from Southern League champions Southampton, for whom he was signed for a fee of £80.
[2] After a season with Millwall, Joyce returned to his home-town to join the newly formed Burton United in the Football League Second Division in August 1901.
After failing to break into the first-team at Burton, Joyce was transferred to Blackburn Rovers of the Football League First Division in May 1902.
After a brief spell with Tottenham Hotspur, he returned to Millwall in the summer where he was to remain for the next six years, before re-joining Spurs in 1909.
[4] Joyce played a total of 113 first-team matches for the Spurs, with his career ending following the outbreak of World War I.