Croal was a lively inside left, who joined Rangers in 1905 from junior football. However, he failed to make the breakthrough to the first team and went out on loan to Ayr Parkhouse, Alloa Athletic and Dunfermline Athletic, before finally leaving Ibrox to sign for Falkirk for a £10 fee in November 1910. At Brockville, his career blossomed, and he won the Scottish Cup in 1913, as well as three international caps for Scotland and five appearances for the Scottish League XI. Croal transferred to Chelsea from Falkirk sometime in 1914. Chelsea paid £2,000 for him and he remained at Stamford Bridge until 1922. He was a member of the Chelsea side that reached the 1915 FA Cup Final. He made a total of 130 appearances for Chelsea, scoring a total of 26 goals. Croal then spent two-and-a-half seasons with Fulham before retiring.