Born in West Calder, West Lothian, Fairfoul made over 200 senior appearances in Scottish football, playing for Kilmarnock and Third Lanark, before moving south of the border to join Liverpool in 1913. He spent two years with the club, where his fortunes were mixed. He played in the 1914 FA Cup Final, ending on the losing side, but was later suspended by the FA for his involvement in the betting scandal of 1915. Fairfoul was re-instated after the break for World War I but did not return to football.