Smith played as a junior for North London team Tottenham Hotspur before injury forced an end to his top flight football ambitions.
During that time he was assistant national coach to Jim Shoulder for 26 matches including the 1978 World Cup qualification.
In 1996 Sabah won the 'M' League for the first time in the club's history and reached the Malaysia Cup Final, losing to Selangor in a penalty shoot-out in front of 82,000 spectators.
Smith served as Technical Director to the Football Association of Malaysia between 1999 and 2002 and established the Bukit Jalil development program based on the Australian Institute of Sport model.
In July 2006, Smith resigned as full-time Technical Manager with the FFA to take on the vacant coach's job at Perth Glory FC.
On 3 November 2007, Smith was sacked as Perth Glory's coach, after 11 matches without a win that season and five points adrift at the bottom of the A-League table.
In the 2009–10 'A' League season the 'Coaching Clinic' series on Fox Sport's Match Day Saturday program, was written and produced by Ron Smith.