[2] 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.
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 his position, never for the football world to hear from him again.
After two games out of the side, when regular half-back Arthur Lacey took over at centre-forward, McPherson returned for a 10-game spell at inside left, scoring five goals from that position.
[6] Having not played for Chesterfield for more than two months, McPherson returned to Cumbria with Barrow in February 1921, and helped the team to win the Lancashire Combination title that season.
[7] McPherson joined Manchester United in May 1923 for a fee of £500, making his first-team debut as an outside left in the first game of the 1923–24 season against Bristol City on 25 August.
He was also a more prolific goalscorer, his seven goals in 38 league appearances helping the club to a second-place finish at the end of the season and promotion back to the First Division.
McPherson made a goalscoring return to the team as a centre-forward on 24 October, scoring twice in a 2–0 away win over Cardiff City; he retained the number 9 shirt for much of the rest of the season, before a three-game spell without scoring culminated in a 7–0 defeat away to Blackburn Rovers; Charlie Rennox, Jimmy Hanson and Chris Taylor shared centre-forward duties for the remaining six games of the season.
He held onto the role for the next two months until the second replay of Manchester United's FA Cup third round tie against Reading on 17 January 1927, after which he spent four games back at outside left.
[citation needed] After a brief stint with Lancashire Combination side Manchester Central at the start of the 1928–29 season, where he played 7 games, scoring 7 times,[13] McPherson was signed by Watford for £850 in September 1928.
[15] McPherson began the 1934–35 season by playing in the first two games away to Bristol City and at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, but could not find the target and was not selected for the next 32 Watford matches.
He made his comeback on 28 February, almost six months to the day after his last match, playing in Watford's Third Division South Cup third round replay against Queens Park Rangers.
[1][17] After his retirement from football, McPherson became the licensee of the Greaves Arms Hotel in Oldham, a position he held until his sudden death in Davyhulme on 5 March 1953.