George McLachlan

Cardiff City

Many English Football League clubs were interested in signing McLachlan but, in November 1926, he joined for Football League First Division side Cardiff City for £2,000 (approximately £125,000 in 1925). He was persuaded to join City as his father was captain of a ship that regularly called at Cardiff docks. He was the third Scottish player to join the club in short succession, signing soon after Joe Cassidy and Hughie Ferguson. The trio cost a combined fee of £10,000, with Ferguson accounting for half. McLachlan made his debut for Cardiff alongside Ferguson as the attacking trio combined in a 5–2 victory over Leicester City. His first goal for the club came on 16 January 1926, when he scored Cardiff's goal in a 1–1 draw with Everton. He added a brace three weeks later during a 4–1 win over Blackburn Rovers, while the Daily Herald reported that "he delighted City's supporters with his fine form". However his season was ended when he suffered a broken leg in the return fixture against Leicester in March.

McLachlan returned from the injury on the opening day of the 1926–27 season, during which his side suffered a 4–3 defeat against Burnley. He was a regular in the first team for Cardiff, scoring 5 times in 38 league appearances. He also played in 5 of the club's 6 matches en route to reaching the 1927 FA Cup Final, scoring in the club's 2–0 victory over Darlington in the fourth round. Ahead of the final, the Daily Herald noted that McLachlan and Ernie Curtis had formed one of the "best wings in the First Division". McLachlan missed only one senior fixture for the club during the campaign, playing in 50 of the club's 51 matches in all competitions, and helped the side to victory in the 1927 FA Charity Shield by defeating amateur side Corinthian. Cardiff also retained the Welsh Cup by beating Bangor in the final. In the Second Division the following year, McLachlan was displaced by Fred Warren at the start of the campaign before being restored to the first team in late October 1929. He played in eight consecutive matches, scoring twice. His final match for the club was a 1–0 victory over Chelsea on 14 December. At the time of his departure, he had played 139 league games, scoring 22 goals during his time with Cardiff. While with the club, in 1928 he played for the Anglo-Scots against the Home-Scots in an international trial match at Firhill. United's local rivals Manchester City had also submitted a competing bid for McLachlan after manager Peter Hodge had attended his last match for Cardiff. He made his debut for United in a 3–1 win over Leeds United on 21 December before scoring his first goal for the side a week later in a 5–0 victory over Newcastle United. He scored only one further goal during the campaign, but was described as having been "a great success" by The People. During his first year with United, an injury crisis at the club led McLachlan to switch from his usual outside left position to halfback. His performances resulted in him retaining the position on a regular basis and, at the start of the following season, he was appointed captain of the side.

His captaincy of the side started poorly as the team struggled in the First Division and were described by the Sheffield Independent as "the weakest team in the division" in September 1930. The Independents assessment proved telling as United went on to finish bottom of the First Division, nine points behind their nearest rivals. McLachlan was ever-present during the season, appearing in all 42 league and 4 FA Cup matches, scoring twice. Upon the team's return to the Second Division, McLachlan gradually fell out of favour, appearing in 45 matches over the following two seasons. He was offered a further contract, but his ambition was to manage a Scottish First Division side. In his first season, McLachlan led the club to a 15th-placed finish. At the end of the campaign, the club undertook an 11-game 1936 overseas tour and the Algiers invitational tournament. Queens returned with the trophy after beating Spanish side Racing Santander in the final. FA Charity Shield: 1927