At Burnley
Starting his footballing career at Belfast club Glentoran, McIlroy was signed by Burnley manager Frank Hill, who handed the youngster his league debut in the 1-1 draw against Sunderland at Roker Park in October 1950, just four days before his 19th birthday.
McIlroy's inclusion in the team was due to the sale of Harry Potts, his future manager of Burnley, who had just been sold to Everton.
McIlroy played in the second of the two greatest periods in Burnley's history, coinciding with Harry Potts's tenure as manager, when they became 1959-60 English League champions, appeared in the 1962 FA Cup Final and featured in European Competitions.
He played 439 times for the Clarets and scored 116 goals for the club. He is also Burnley's most capped international, appearing for his native Northern Ireland on 51 occasions, scoring 10 goals.
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