Joe Sykes made his debut for his hometown club The Wednesday at the tail end of the 1919-20 season. He played at any one of the 3 half back positions.
His first team opportunities were limited (31 appearances and 1 goal) and in the summer of 1924 he joined Swansea Town.
Sykes went on to make 336 appearances for the Swans (Famous Footer Club!), scoring 8 goals. He retired in 1935, having played 6 games at inside left in his final season.