Youth career Born in
Newry, In 2009, he joined
Glenavon, where he spent one season. He also represented
County Down in the 2009
Milk Cup and was named as the side's player of the tournament. In May 2010, McCartan signed for
Burnley on a two-year apprenticeship, beating off competition from other clubs. Burnley paid a compensation fee to both Glenavon and Banbridge. He was part of the squad that got to the
FA Youth Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1978, scoring a last minute goal against
West Bromwich Albion in the process.
Burnley McCartan was first involved with the first-team squad in September 2011, when he was an unused substitute in the 2–1
League Cup victory over
Milton Keynes Dons. His first
Championship involvement came when he was an unused substitute against
Brighton & Hove Albion on 6 April 2012. McCartan made his professional debut three days later in a 2–1 win over
Doncaster Rovers, coming on as a substitute for
Josh McQuoid in the final minute. Manager
Eddie Howe had played a number of youth team graduates towards the end of the
2011–12 season in an attempt to fill out the "Clarets" squad. McCartan was given a professional contract after he scored 23 times for the youth team in 2012. On 31 January 2013, he joined
Conference Premier side
Hyde on an initial one-month loan, which was later extended until the end of the
2012–13 campaign. He scored his first senior career goal for the "Tigers" in a 2–0 win over
Wrexham at
Ewen Fields on 30 March. This was his only goal in 16 appearances as
Scott McNiven's Hyde avoided relegation with an 18th-place finish despite being the only semi-professional side in the division.
Accrington On 2 July 2013, McCartan signed a one-year contract with
League Two club
Accrington Stanley; Stanley boss
James Beattie said he knew a lot of people at
Turf Moor were surprised when
Sean Dyche released him, whilst McCartan said that hoped that as a former striker Beattie could improve his skills. He scored his first goal in the
Football League on 12 April 2014, providing a stoppage time equaliser by heading in a
Lee Molyneux corner in a 1–1 draw at
York City; speaking four years later he recalled that "we were in a relegation fight at the time and that was a special moment". This was to prove his only goal from 21 matches in the
2013–14 season. He contributed six goals in 36 games throughout the campaign and signed a new 12-month contract in July. On 13 February 2016, he was sent off for the first in his career in a 4–1 home win over
Crawley Town; Crawley's
Simon Walton and Stanley's
Jason Mooney were also sent off as a melee ensued. Accrington qualified for the play-offs at the end of the
2015–16 season, missing out on automatic promotion after finishing behind third-placed
Bristol Rovers on goal difference. They were eliminated from the play-off semi-finals with a 3–2 aggregate defeat to
AFC Wimbledon; McCartan was substituted at the end of normal time in the second leg, which Accrington had been winning 2–1 on the night before conceding an equalising goal in extra-time. He signed a new two-year deal in July as the departure of
Josh Windass opened up a place in the starting eleven. Manager
John Coleman stated that "I am confident he will grab the opportunity with both hands". He was named as
League Two Player of the Month for March 2017 after scoring six goals in seven games, including free-kicks against
Barnet,
Exeter City,
Morecambe and
Grimsby Town;
Sky Sports pundit
Don Goodman said that "
His technique from free-kicks rivals the very best on offer anywhere at the moment, and opposition goalkeepers and defenders must fear the worst when they see him lining up". He reached double figures for the first time, ending the
2016–17 campaign with ten goals in 39 appearances.
Bradford City McCartan signed a three-year deal with
Bradford City on 29 June 2017 for an undisclosed six-figure fee (later reported to be £200,000). He faced competition from
Charlie Wyke and
Alex Jones, as well as new signings
Dominic Poleon and
Paul Taylor. He struggled to settle in at
Valley Parade and Head of Recruitment
Greg Abbott revealed that nine clubs had expressed an interest in McCartan in the January transfer window. He ended the
2017–18 season with four goals in 28 games, and
Lincolnshire Live journalist Mark Whiley reported that: "
McCartan showed glimpses of quality but found himself in and out of the team as the Bantams went through two permanent managers, Stuart McCall and Simon Grayson, and one caretaker boss, Greg Abbott". He moved on loan to
Lincoln City in July 2018. He was a first-team regular at first, though was limited to just five league starts following the arrival on loanee
Danny Rowe in the January transfer window. McCartan scored a total of seven goals in 43 games in the
2018–19 season, including the goal that secured promotion in a 1–1 draw with
Cheltenham Town at
Sincil Bank on 13 April. "Imps" manager
Danny Cowley said that "He's felt like our player and we look forward to hopefully trying to get something agreed in the summer". As Lincoln went up as champions, Bradford replaced them in League Two after getting relegated in McCartan's absence. McCartan was initially reluctant to return to the club but soon found that the "poisonous changing room" atmosphere had been transformed by Bowyer into "a positive place to be at". He went on to score four goals in 22 games in a shortened season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in England and his departure from the club was confirmed in May 2020.
Ballymena United Ballymena United announced on 29 September 2020 that they had signed McCartan.
Glentoran On 1 August 2021, it was announced McCartan had signed for Glentoran for an Irish League record fee of £100,000. On 7 May 2024, it was announced that McCartan would be one of ten players departing Glentoran upon the expiry of their contracts. == International career ==