At this stage, Ford was still playing as an amateur, combining football with studies in chartered accountancy. This understandably affected his footballing development and Ford's appearances over the following seasons were sporadic. However, upon completion of his final accountancy exams in 1967, Ford signed professional terms and became an integral part of the Hearts first team. He played over 30 times in each of the following 8 seasons before eventually transferring to Falkirk in 1976 at the age of 32. A serious knee injury forced him into retirement the following year.