 Smith returned to English professional football after he was signed by manager Craig Brown at Championship club Preston North End for an undisclosed fee (later reported to be £130,000) in July 2004; his international teammate David Healy recommended the club to Smith.He had been due to sign for Milton Keynes Dons when Preston hijacked the deal with a late bid to take him to Deepdale.He featured in 17 games for the "Lambs" in the 2004–05 season, without scoring a goal.