[5] He was one of several players of the Catholic faith to feature for Rangers in the pre-World War I era, after which an unwritten rule was introduced at the club which persisted for several decades.
[6] He transferred to Celtic in 1907 in an exchange deal involving fellow forward Alec Bennett[7] and spent four seasons with the club, winning three Scottish Football League titles, a Glasgow Cup (1909) and a Scottish Cup (1911);[8] he also represented the Scottish League XI three times while at Celtic,[9] and came into consideration for a full cap for Scotland when he played in the Home Scots v Anglo-Scots trial match of 1910.
[10] After moving to England with Bradford (Park Avenue) he featured regularly for three seasons up to the outbreak of the First World War.
During the war, Kivlichan served as a lieutenant in the Royal Army Medical Corps, attached to the King's African Rifles.
He was by the side of John Thomson as the young goalkeeper died from an injury sustained in an Old Firm match on 5 September 1931.