Archie Garrett
Encyclopedia
Archibald Campbell E. "Archie" Garrett (17 June 1919 – 1994) was a Scottish
professional footballer who played in the Football League
for Preston North End
, Northampton Town
and Birmingham City
, and in the Scottish Football League
for Heart of Midlothian
. He played as a forward.
, South Lanarkshire
. He played for Lesmahagow Juniors
before coming to England as a 17-year-old to sign for Preston North End
. He made his debut in the Football League
on 5 February 1938 in the First Division
match away against Birmingham
. Preston rested players to save them for an FA Cup
-tie against Arsenal
, so the 18-year-old Garrett came in at inside left
, and was part of "a footballing feast of delightful, imaginative, attacking football" which his club won 2–0. He scored twice in his only other league game for North End before returning to Scotland in December 1938 to join Heart of Midlothian
, who paid a club record fee of £4,000 for his services.
Hearts had a high-scoring run in the 1939 Scottish Cup: Garrett scored six as they beat junior
club Penicuik Athletic
and another four as they beat Highland League
side Elgin City
14–1. Drawn against Celtic
in the Third Round, in what was the first all-ticket match at Tynecastle
, Garrett equalised "in the dying seconds" to earn a replay, which Celtic won 2–1 with a goal that appeared not to have crossed the line. In May and June 1939, Garrett toured North America with a Scottish Football Association
XI, scoring 19 goals from 8 matches. In the 1938–39 season he had scored 29 goals in all competitions, of which 17 were in the Scottish League
, and 24 (21) the following season, by which time the Second World War was under way. During the war he played a few games for Hearts in the 1943–44 season, and also made guest appearances for Northampton Town
and Bristol City
. He returned to Hearts after the war, but his stay was brief: he and teammate Jimmy Briscoe signed for Northampton Town, of the English Third Division South
, in September 1946.
Garrett maintained his scoring record: in the 1946–47 season he scored 32 goals in all competitions, of which 26 were in the league, and he added another 9 to his league tally before joining Second Division
side Birmingham City
in November 1947, for what was then a club record fee received of £10,000. He went straight into the starting eleven, but scored only once in his first six games, lost his place, and was unable to regain it. The following season, in the First Division, Garrett had a run of games in place of Harold Bodle: he scored four goals, of which one was the only goal of the game, and two secured 1–1 draws, yet as soon as Bodle became available for selection, Garrett was dropped. In December 1948, he returned to Northampton Town, where he finished his Football League career at the end of the 1950–51 season. He had spells in non-league football
with Wisbech Town
and Holbeach United
.
In the 1960s, Garrett worked for the GPO
in Bristol
. He died in the city in 1994.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
professional footballer who played in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
for Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
, Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
and Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, and in the Scottish Football League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
for Heart of Midlothian
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
. He played as a forward.
Career
Garrett was born in LesmahagowLesmahagow
Lesmahagow is a small town on the edge of moorland, near Lanark in the central belt of Scotland. It is also known as Abbey Green.-Etymology:The name is possibly a corruption of "Church of St Machutus"...
, South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
. He played for Lesmahagow Juniors
Lesmahagow F.C.
Lesmahagow Football Club are a Scottish football club, based in the town of Lesmahagow, South Lanarkshire. Nicknamed the Gow, they were formed in 1885 and play at Craighead Park...
before coming to England as a 17-year-old to sign for Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
. He made his debut in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
on 5 February 1938 in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
match away against Birmingham
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
. Preston rested players to save them for an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
-tie against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, so the 18-year-old Garrett came in at inside left
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
, and was part of "a footballing feast of delightful, imaginative, attacking football" which his club won 2–0. He scored twice in his only other league game for North End before returning to Scotland in December 1938 to join Heart of Midlothian
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
, who paid a club record fee of £4,000 for his services.
Hearts had a high-scoring run in the 1939 Scottish Cup: Garrett scored six as they beat junior
Scottish Junior Football Association
The Scottish Junior Football Association is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the Junior grade of football in Scotland. The term "Junior" refers to the level of football played...
club Penicuik Athletic
Penicuik Athletic F.C.
Penicuik Athletic Football Club are a Scottish junior football club. They were formed in 1888 and are based in Penicuik. Penicuik Park is ten miles south west of Edinburgh on the A702...
and another four as they beat Highland League
Highland Football League
The Press & Journal Highland Football League is a league of football clubs operating not just in the Scottish Highlands, as the name may suggest, but also in the north-east lowlands...
side Elgin City
Elgin City F.C.
Elgin City Football Club are a semi-professional football team based in Elgin, Moray. They currently compete in the Scottish Third Division....
14–1. Drawn against Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
in the Third Round, in what was the first all-ticket match at Tynecastle
Tynecastle Stadium
Tynecastle Stadium is a football stadium situated in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Hearts. Tynecastle has a seating capacity of 17,420, which makes it the seventh largest football stadium in Scotland...
, Garrett equalised "in the dying seconds" to earn a replay, which Celtic won 2–1 with a goal that appeared not to have crossed the line. In May and June 1939, Garrett toured North America with a Scottish Football Association
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
XI, scoring 19 goals from 8 matches. In the 1938–39 season he had scored 29 goals in all competitions, of which 17 were in the Scottish League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
, and 24 (21) the following season, by which time the Second World War was under way. During the war he played a few games for Hearts in the 1943–44 season, and also made guest appearances for Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
and Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
. He returned to Hearts after the war, but his stay was brief: he and teammate Jimmy Briscoe signed for Northampton Town, of the English Third Division South
Football League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
, in September 1946.
Garrett maintained his scoring record: in the 1946–47 season he scored 32 goals in all competitions, of which 26 were in the league, and he added another 9 to his league tally before joining Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
side Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in November 1947, for what was then a club record fee received of £10,000. He went straight into the starting eleven, but scored only once in his first six games, lost his place, and was unable to regain it. The following season, in the First Division, Garrett had a run of games in place of Harold Bodle: he scored four goals, of which one was the only goal of the game, and two secured 1–1 draws, yet as soon as Bodle became available for selection, Garrett was dropped. In December 1948, he returned to Northampton Town, where he finished his Football League career at the end of the 1950–51 season. He had spells in non-league football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
with Wisbech Town
Wisbech Town F.C.
Wisbech Town F.C. is an English football club currently based in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. The club are currently members of the Eastern Counties League Premier Division and play at the Fenland Stadium.-History:...
and Holbeach United
Holbeach United F.C.
Holbeach United F.C. is an English football club based in Holbeach, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the United Counties League Premier Division and play at Carters Park.-History:...
.
In the 1960s, Garrett worked for the GPO
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. He died in the city in 1994.