[1] Bolton paid £6,300 for McClelland's transfer from Middlesbrough in March 1928, at the same time allowing John Smith to move to Bury.
He appeared in all 8 games of the FA Cup run and scored 1 goal (in the 5–2 victory against Liverpool in the 4th Round Replay at Burnden Park).
[2] In October 1929, McClelland moved to Preston North End, for a £5,000 fee, and scored 22 goals in 53 games before returning to the First Division with Blackpool in February 1931.
[2] McClelland made his debut for Harry Evans' Blackpool late in the 1930–31 season, in a 3–3 draw against his former club, Bolton Wanderers, at Bloomfield Road on 21 February 1931.
He went on to make a further 12 league appearances that season, scoring three more goals (including two in a 5–1 victory at home to his future club, Manchester United, on 21 March).
McClelland joined Manchester United at the start of the 1936–37 campaign, making his debut in the 3–1 defeat at Huddersfield Town on 2 September.
Unable to gain a regular place in the United first team, McClelland only made five appearances in his one season at the club, and only registered one goal (in a 2–1 win over Stoke City in March) in only his second match.