[3][4] His many clubs included Celtic (two spells),[5] Clyde, Heart of Midlothian,[6] Hamilton Academical[1] and Albion Rovers in Scotland, and Sheffield United, Middlesbrough,[7] Millwall Athletic and Chelsea in England.

His first spell at Celtic in 1898, aged 20, included appearances in a two-legged friendly billed as the informal 'Championship for Great Britain' against Sheffield United (although the first match took place before either club was officially champion of their nation),[9] before being moved on in October of that year long with several other fringe players in a cost-cutting measure.

[10] After a good season with Clyde he moved to England with Sheffield United, where he was a back-up squad member as the Blades were runners-up in the 1899–1900 Football League, then played a minor role in Middlesbrough's promotion from the second tier in 1901–02.

[12] In his season with Hearts back in Scotland he won the minor Rosebery Charity Cup,[6] and was involved in another English promotion with Chelsea in 1906–07, having been in their first-ever team the previous year.

[10] Moran played in the Home Scots v Anglo-Scots international trial match of 1905 while contracted to Hearts,[3][13] but received no further representative honours.