Frank McPherson

Early career

Born in Barrow-in-Furness to parents from Aberdeen, McPherson worked as a ship plater for Vickers and played football for the works team, Barrow Shipbuilders. In April 1919, towards the end of the 1918–19 season, he signed as an amateur for Scottish club Partick Thistle, helping them to a fourth-place finish in the Scottish First Division.

Chesterfield Municipal

McPherson returned to Barrow Shipbuilders at the end of the season, and played in their 1919–20 FA Cup Preliminary Round defeat to Kells White Star; however, in October 1919, he was signed by Midland League club Chesterfield Municipal, who – either ignoring his cup-tied status or unaware of it entirely – gave him his debut in their FA Cup second qualifying round match against South Normanton Colliery on 25 October; starting at centre-forward, he scored twice as Chesterfield won 5–0. After the match, South Normanton submitted an appeal to The Football Association that McPherson should not have been allowed to play, resulting in Chesterfield being disqualified from the competition and McPherson being banned for a month. Chesterfield manager Tom Callaghan protested that he was unaware that McPherson had already played in the FA Cup that season, but McPherson maintained that he had told his manager he was not available for selection. Callaghan offered McPherson £5 to retract that claim, as well as ordering club captain Peter Irvine to back him up; however, he was found out and sacked from…