Chapman began his professional playing career with Aston Villa in February 1952, having initially joined the club from Kynocks Works as an amateur three months earlier.
[2] Finding his first-team opportunities limited at Villa Park, manager Eric Houghton allowed him to leave for Bill Anderson's Lincoln City in November 1957.
He finished as the club's top scorer in 1958–59 with 15 goals, as Lincoln avoided relegation despite achieving a lower points tally than in the previous campaign.
[5] The "Stags" finished 14th in the Fourth Division in 1961–62 under Raich Carter's stewardship, before Chapman and strike partner Ken Wagstaff fired the club to promotion in 1962–63.
Mansfield took to life in the Third Division well under new boss Tommy Cummings and posted a seventh-place finish in 1963–64 before missing out on promotion in 1964–65 due to their inferior goal average.
[3] He was ever-present in the 1967–68 season, finishing as the club's top scorer with 25 goals in 49 games; he was also the division's joint top-scorer, along with Halifax Town's Les Massie.
Chapman moved on to Southern League Premier Division side Nuneaton Borough for a fee of £1,500, as part of manager Dudley Kernick's £10,000 spending spree.
[7] Chapman steered Stafford Rangers to a treble of the FA Trophy, Northern Premier League and Staffordshire Senior Cup in 1972.
[8] He then returned to professional circles with a short spell as Stockport County manager, where he signed George Best on a short-term deal.