McKennan went on to play for Football League clubs Leicester City, Brentford, Middlesbrough and Oldham Athletic and scored 63 goals in 171 appearances, before moving to Northern Ireland in 1954, where he played out two injury-ravaged seasons as player-manager of Coleraine. As of December 2018, McKennan is the third of three Brentford players to register five goals in a single league match.
