Smirk began his footballing career on the books of Sheffield Wednesday, but after failing to break through to the first-team, he moved to play for the Sunderland Bus Company. He was offered a contract in 1938 to play for Southend United, where he made many wartime appearances, before re-signing for the club following the end of hostilities in 1946. During the war years, he made two guest appearances for Colchester United. He made 100 Football League appearances for Southend, before moving to Gateshead for a brief stint in 1948. He returned to Essex with Chingford Town, and later Tonbridge before becoming player-manager at Brush Sports. Later in life, Smirk wrote for the Southend Standard and Southend Times newspapers.
