Dave was a thinking man's wing half who relied on his ability to react quickly and read a game rather than strong man tactics. His steady performances for a hugely inconsistent Dons side won him recognition at under 23 level before promotion to the full side against the Dutch on May 11 1966. The Scots fielded a largely experimental side that day with Pat Stanton and Andy Penman also winning their first caps, and they were somewhat overwhelmed by a strong Dutch outfit 3-0.

In August, 1966, Rangers paid Aberdeen a new club record fee of £45,000 for Smith and another brief Dons international career came to an end. At Ibrox Dave became an important part of the rangers' set-up during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and was a key element in the "Light Blues'" 1972 Cup Winners' Cup triumph. In November 1974 he was transferred to Arbroath for £10,000 and during a two year stint at Gayfield became involved in coaching. In 1976 he became player-manager at Berwick Rangers but after four years there more or less ended his involvement in football following off-field problems. Dave was last known to be back in the North East where he was employed as a taxi driver.