Editing Mick McCarthy (section)

==Club career==
===Barnsley===
Born in [[Barnsley]], [[Yorkshire]],<ref name=Hugman/> McCarthy made his league debut for then-Fourth Division [[Barnsley F.C.|Barnsley]] on 20 August 1977 in a 4–0 win over [[Rochdale F.C.|Rochdale]]. He spent two years in the basement league, before the club won promotion. Two years later, the team again went up to the (old) Division 2. A strong central defender, he was a virtual ever-present for his home town club, but departed in December 1983 for fellow Division 2 club [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]].

===Manchester City===
The [[Maine Road]] club won promotion in McCarthy's first full season and he finally had the chance to play at the highest level. His first season in the top flight was steady enough as the club reached mid-table, but relegation struck the following year. McCarthy himself would not face the drop though as he moved to [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]] in May 1987.<ref>{{cite news |date=15 August 1987 |page=13 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29537305/the_guardian/ |title=Accent still on Merseyside |first=David |last=Lacey |via=[[Newspapers.com]]  |access-date= 15 March 2019}}{{free access}}</ref>

===Celtic===
He picked up his first silverware at the Scottish club as they won the league and cup double in his first season. The following season McCarthy again won a [[Scottish Cup]] winners medal,<ref name="IrishmanAbroad"/> although the club had to settle for third place in the league.<ref>{{cite web |website=Statto |title=Scottish Premier Division 1988–1989 : Table |url=http://www.statto.com/football/stats/scotland/premier-division/1988-1989/table |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415232632/http://www.statto.com/football/stats/scotland/premier-division/1988-1989/table |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 April 2013 |access-date=15 March 2019}}</ref>

===Lyon===
McCarthy again moved onto a new country, as he joined [[Olympique Lyonnais|Lyon]] on a three-year contract in July 1989.<ref name="IrishmanAbroad">{{cite podcast |author-link=Jarlath Regan |author=Jarlath Regan |edition=225 |work=[[An Irishman Abroad]] |title=Mick McCarthy |publisher=[[SoundCloud]] |date=6 January 2018 |url=https://soundcloud.com/an-irishman-abroad/mick-mccarthy-episode-225 |access-date=12 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.the42.ie/mick-mccarthy-lyon-4480685-Feb2019/ |title = Remembering Mick McCarthy's brief and forgotten spell with Lyon |date=7 February 2019 |website=[[The42.ie]] |access-date=7 February 2019}}</ref>	

===Millwall===
McCarthy returned to England on loan with top-flight [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]] in March 1990.<ref name="IrishmanAbroad"/> He signed permanently in May 1990 for £200,000. His appearances in the next two seasons were often limited by injuries and he effectively retired from playing when he took over as manager of the club in 1992.<ref name="voicemail">{{cite news |work=[[The Guardian]] |first=Robert |last=Pryce |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29538617/the_guardian/ |title=Soccer Diary |date=21 March 1992 |page=18 |access-date=15 March 2019}}</ref>