In the 1904–05 season, he scored in all but three of Vale's matches, and his goalscoring attracted attention from major clubs on both sides of the border, including Aston Villa and Rangers.
[6] In February 1911, he was transferred to Division One club Falkirk:[6] Blackburn Rovers still held his league registration, and included it as a makeweight in their purchase of Jock Simpson.
[7] Thus he began a lengthy stay, interrupted by the First World War, in which he scored 75 goals from 160 Division One matches and was Falkirk's top scorer for each of his first four full seasons.
The Glasgow Herald's reporter thought the "disappointing" match would be of little value to the selectors, in part because of a perceived lack of effort by some of the participants compared with that shown in a competitive fixture.
[12][13] He was able to play wartime football, when his military duties allowed, and turned out for teams including Dunfermline Athletic, Armadale and Vale of Leven.