 On 11 May 1963, Irvine was asked by manager Potts to travel with the first team for their final away fixture of the season at Arsenal.He was a boot boy, and was originally only intended to assist Ray Bennion in transporting the team kit to and from the game.It was reported in the "Burnley Express" the day before the match that he would be making his professional debut against Arsenal, although Irvine himself only found out just before the match.