Jack Barrett (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Uriah John "Jack" Barrett (April quarter 1874 – January quarter 1934) was an amateur footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Southampton St. Mary's in the mid-1890s.
, Wiltshire
before moving to Southampton
where he trained as a shoemaker. He had played local parks football before joining Southampton St. Mary's in March 1894, taking over from Ralph Ruffell who had been the "Saints" first-choice goalkeeper since the club was founded in 1885. Ruffell sustained a dislocated knee-cap in the Hampshire Senior Cup
final in March 1894, and the club called on Barrett's services for the remaining matches of the season, including the Hampshire County Cricket Club
Charity Cup Final against Royal Artillery (won 5–0) and the Portsmouth & District Cup Final against Freemantle
(lost 2–0).
In October 1894, St. Mary's made their debut in the inaugural Southern League season, with Barrett in goal in the 3–1 victory over Chatham. Barrett had a poor league debut, missing a cross early in the match, which was cleared by David "Taffy" Hamer
. Soon afterwards, Barret was again at fault, allowing Gamble to score the opening goal with "a soft shot". Barrett soon rallied, however, and made amends with a "brilliant save" from McAucklan before Harry Offer
's equalizing goal. Barrett retained his place in goal for the next three games including the 14–0 FA Cup
victory over Newbury
in the first qualifying round on 13 October 1894 – this is still Southampton's biggest victory in a competitive match. Following a 4–1 defeat at Luton Town
, he was dropped in favour of Walter Cox
for two FA Cup
matches before H. Williamson
took over for the remainder of the season
.
Barrett made one further appearance in January and, following the departure of Williamson in the summer of 1895, played the first three matches of the 1895–96 season
before again losing his place, this time to Tom Cain
.
With Cox being retained as the second-choice 'keeper, Barrett left the club in October 1895.
er, but failed to make it to County level. He died in 1934, shortly before his 60th birthday – his death at a relatively young age was attributed to blood poisoning
, apparently stemming from being struck on the leg by a cricket ball.
Football career
Barrett was born in Wootton BassettWootton Bassett
Royal Wootton Bassett , informally known as Wootton Bassett, is a small market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, with a population of 11,043 in 2001...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
before moving to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
where he trained as a shoemaker. He had played local parks football before joining Southampton St. Mary's in March 1894, taking over from Ralph Ruffell who had been the "Saints" first-choice goalkeeper since the club was founded in 1885. Ruffell sustained a dislocated knee-cap in the Hampshire Senior Cup
Hampshire Senior Cup
The Hampshire Senior Cup is a cup competition open to football teams affiliated with the Hampshire Football Association. The competition was founded in 1888 and has been contested every year since, with the exception of 1914 to 1919 when it was postponed due to World War I.Despite the...
final in March 1894, and the club called on Barrett's services for the remaining matches of the season, including the Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
Charity Cup Final against Royal Artillery (won 5–0) and the Portsmouth & District Cup Final against Freemantle
Freemantle F.C.
Freemantle Football Club were a football club based in the Freemantle area of Southampton who were active at the end of the nineteenth century. During their brief heyday, they were rivals to Southampton Football Club...
(lost 2–0).
In October 1894, St. Mary's made their debut in the inaugural Southern League season, with Barrett in goal in the 3–1 victory over Chatham. Barrett had a poor league debut, missing a cross early in the match, which was cleared by David "Taffy" Hamer
David Hamer (footballer)
David Bowen Hamer was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a full-back for Southampton St. Mary's in the early years of the Southern League.-Football career:...
. Soon afterwards, Barret was again at fault, allowing Gamble to score the opening goal with "a soft shot". Barrett soon rallied, however, and made amends with a "brilliant save" from McAucklan before Harry Offer
Harry Offer
Henry Thomas "Harry" Offer was an English footballer who scored Arsenal's first-ever goal in the FA Cup "proper" rounds in 1891, and Southampton's first-ever league goal in 1894.-Swindon Town:...
's equalizing goal. Barrett retained his place in goal for the next three games including the 14–0 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...
victory over Newbury
Newbury Town F.C.
Newbury Town F.C. is a now-defunct football club based in Newbury, England. They won the Hellenic League title two times in their history. They also won the Isthmian League Division Two in 1994, but ceased to exist just before the start of the 1995–96 season...
in the first qualifying round on 13 October 1894 – this is still Southampton's biggest victory in a competitive match. Following a 4–1 defeat at Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
, he was dropped in favour of Walter Cox
Walter Cox (footballer)
Walter Cox was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for various clubs around the turn of the 20th century.-Football career:Cox was born in Southampton and started playing for the newly formed Southampton St Mary's club in 1892 as an outfield player...
for two 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...
matches before H. Williamson
H. Williamson
H. Williamson was an amateur footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Southampton St. Mary's and Royal Ordnance Factories in the mid-1890s.Williamson made his debut for Southampton in the third match of the inaugural Southern League season, replacing Walter Cox...
took over for the remainder of the season
1894–95 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season
The 1894–95 season was the tenth since the foundation of Southampton St. Mary's F.C. and their first in league football, being founder members of the Southern League....
.
Barrett made one further appearance in January and, following the departure of Williamson in the summer of 1895, played the first three matches of the 1895–96 season
1895–96 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season
The 1895–96 season was the eleventh since the foundation of Southampton St. Mary's F.C. and their second in league football, as members of the Southern League. They finished the league season in third place behind the previous season's champions, Millwall Athletic, and Luton Town...
before again losing his place, this time to Tom Cain
Tom Cain
Thomas "Tom" Cain was an English footballer who played as goalkeeper for Stoke, Everton and Southampton St. Mary's in the 1890s.-Football career:...
.
With Cox being retained as the second-choice 'keeper, Barrett left the club in October 1895.
Later career
On quitting football, Barrett decided to concentrate on a career as a professional cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er, but failed to make it to County level. He died in 1934, shortly before his 60th birthday – his death at a relatively young age was attributed to blood poisoning
Sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected infection. The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues...
, apparently stemming from being struck on the leg by a cricket ball.