As a youth he played for Bacup and Clitheroe before turning professional and joining Blackburn Rovers in 1897.
He spent 1900–01 at Stalybridge Rovers before joining Woolwich Arsenal in May 1901.
Although he was not top scorer again in his Arsenal career, he remained in the side as they won promotion to the First Division in 1903–04, scoring 91 goals in the league.
By now he chiefly played on the wing, and remained at the side in their first season in the top flight (1904–05), before being surprisingly sold back to Blackburn Rovers in April 1905.
Briercliffe soon left Blackburn for Plymouth Argyle,[2] and he saw out his career with Brentford, although he never appeared, and Darwen.