McEvilly subsequently struggled with injuries, and in the second half of his career he had brief spells at numerous non-league clubs in England and Wales, as well as a brief period at League of Ireland side Sligo Rovers in 2010.

[3] Rochdale manager John Hollins signed McEvilly in December 2001, for the Third Division club for a fee believed to be around £15,000 plus a sell-on clause.

[2][4] He made his debut for Rochdale in the Third Division against Kidderminster Harriers on 26 December in the 4–1 away defeat, replacing Clive Platt as a substitute in the 69th minute.

[9] Rochdale's new manager Steve Parkin criticised McEvilly's fitness level to play and had described him as "too heavy", and that he needed "to get his physique down to an acceptable weight where he can get around the pitch".

[9] At the end of the season, McEvilly was released by Rochdale on 10 May,[16] signing a dater for Accrington Stanley on a permanent basis after a previous loan spell.

[9] Accrington Stanley accepted an undisclosed bid from Wrexham in July 2005,[21][22] which included a sell-on clause and a bonus if he returned to play international football.

[23] McEvilly suffered a stress fracture in a metatarsus bone on his right foot in the 1–1 home draw with Notts County on 11 December,[24][25] although he declared himself fit to play their following game against Carlisle United, he was substituted after 45 minutes after receiving a mouth injury which had required temporary dental surgery the same evening.

[24][25] His return to the Wrexham team following his injury was on 9 April 2006, in their 2–1 home defeat to Shrewsbury Town when he came on as a substitute replacing Matt Crowell in the 45th minute.

[30][31] Bradford City manager Colin Todd explained; "We were concerned about an old injury to his foot which has resulted in it being pinned and we are not prepared to take a risk with him".

[42] On his return to Spotland Stadium, he scored the only goal of Rochdale's 1–0 win over Mansfield Town on 24 November,[43] with a shot from the edge of the penalty area.

[49] In the following leg, McEvilly started the game and had a shot within the opening 30 seconds which Rob Wolleaston managed to score from the rebound,[50] before being replaced by Leo Fortune-West in the 77th minute.

[51][52] McEvilly signed a permanent two-year deal with Cambridge the following 2008–09 season, after being released on a free transfer from Accrington Stanley.

[54][55] He went on to make 18 appearances for Cambridge scoring eight goals in the Conference National,[9] before returning to the Football League to rejoin Rochdale, initially on loan in November, with the possibility of a permanent transfer in January.

[58] McEvilly made 10 more appearances, starting just once and scoring three goals,[9] before joining Barrow on loan in March,[59] citing his friendship with joint-manager David Bayliss as a key reason for his move.

[67] McEvilly picked up a long-term shin injury delaying his debut for Grays,[68] and he was eventually released by the club in November without making a single appearance.

[71] In the 2010 FA Trophy Final against Stevenage Borough, he replaced Gregg Blundell in the 72nd minute before scoring with his first touch to level the match at 1–1.

[77] McEvilly went on to stay at Victoria Park for three months before transferring to Conference North side Droylsden along with goalkeeper Sean Lake in March 2011.

[82] After being released by Warrington in December 2012 he spent time training with Barrow and officially joined the club on non-contract terms on 31 January 2013—the start of his third spell with the Cumbrian outfit.

Sammy McIlroy called McEvilly up to the Northern Ireland squad to face Spain in an international friendly on 17 April 2002 at Windsor Park, Belfast.

[89] Rochdale assistant manager David Hamilton described McEvilly saying; "He's strong, powerful, can shoot with both feet and can score goals.