clayton began his career as an apprentice at rotherham united, but on failing to make the grade drifted into non-league football. he was working as a plasterer and playing for gainsborough trinity when he moved to burton albion, then managed by neil warnock, for a fee of £1,000. he left to join doncaster rovers in august 1986, a relative latecomer to the professional game. he was a regular in his first season and moved to cambridge united the following june for £10,000. he spent almost 7 years at the abbey stadium, other than a brief loan spell with peterborough united in january 1991, scoring 14 times in 179 league games as cambridge rose through the football league. in february 1994 he joined neil warnock's huddersfield town, costing the terriers £20,000. in june 1995, warnock took over at plymouth argyle, with clayton following in august, chris billy and £125,000 accompanying clayton to plymouth in exchange for paul dalton. a regular in his first season at home park, he missed most of the following campaign with a knee injury and was released at the end of the season.