McAnearney played for Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth Argyle, Watford and Bradford City, who he also briefly managed in 1968 with Tom Hallett.
[3] After playing for St Stephen's,[1] McAnearney signed for Sheffield Wednesday in October 1951, at the same time as older brother Tom, and turned professional on his seventeenth birthday.
[4] He made his professional debut on 24 February 1954,[2] scoring 10 goals in 40 games in all competitions, and spending a total of eight years with the club.
[4] He signed for Plymouth Argyle in January 1960,[1] scoring 37 goals in 147 games in all competitions,[5] before leaving for Watford in November 1963.
[10] He left Bradford to join Rotherham United in May 1968,[6] initially as chief coach to Tommy Docherty, but then as manager between November 1968 and 1973.