He was brought to Dumbarton for a fee of £8,000 by the management team of Alex Wright and former Rangers player Davie Wilson, who was a familiar face having been of Smith's heroes as a teenage supporter, worked alongside his father at a local steelworks in the village of Westburn, Cambuslang, and latterly been a senior teammate at Dundee United. During his spell with Dumbarton they made a rare appearance at the semi-final stage of the Scottish Cup in 1976, losing to Hearts after a replay, with Smith scoring an early own goal.