Martin Garratt
Encyclopedia
Martin Blake George Garratt (born 22 February 1980) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder
.
, North Yorkshire
, Garratt grew up in Middlesbrough
and he joined the York City
youth system
in 1996, turning professional
in 1998. He made his first team debut in a 3–0 defeat to Preston North End
on 8 August 1998. He finished the 1998–99 season with 44 appearances and one goal. He trained with Leeds United
after the end of the season. He was sacked by York after experiencing personal problems and he was signed by Mansfield Town
in 2000. He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat to Barnet
and he finished the 1999–2000 season with six appearances for Mansfield. He went on to play for Irish
team St Patrick's Athletic
, where he made three appearances, before returning to England with Lincoln City
in December. He made his debut in a 3–1 victory over Blackpool
in the Football League Trophy
on 9 January 2001. After making two further appearances for Lincoln he joined Football Conference
team Hednesford Town
on loan in March. He made his debut in a 4–2 defeat to Doncaster Rovers
and he finished the loan spell with two appearances. He joined North Ferriby United
in August 2002.
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Career
Born in YorkYork
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, Garratt grew up in Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
and he joined the York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
youth system
Youth system
Youth system is a sporting terminology used to refer to a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show enough promise, and to fill up squads numbers in some teams...
in 1996, turning professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
in 1998. He made his first team debut in a 3–0 defeat to 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...
on 8 August 1998. He finished the 1998–99 season with 44 appearances and one goal. He trained with Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
after the end of the season. He was sacked by York after experiencing personal problems and he was signed by Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
in 2000. He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat to Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
and he finished the 1999–2000 season with six appearances for Mansfield. He went on to play for Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
team St Patrick's Athletic
St Patrick's Athletic F.C.
St Patrick's Athletic Football Club is a football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the League of Ireland Premier Division. Founded in 1929, they are based in the Dublin suburb of Inchicore and play their home matches at Richmond Park. They have won the League of Ireland title 7 times and...
, where he made three appearances, before returning to England with Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
in December. He made his debut in a 3–1 victory over Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
in the Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
on 9 January 2001. After making two further appearances for Lincoln he joined Football Conference
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
team Hednesford Town
Hednesford Town F.C.
Hednesford Town Football Club are an association football team based in Hednesford, Staffordshire, England. They play at Keys Park.-History:...
on loan in March. He made his debut in a 4–2 defeat to Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
and he finished the loan spell with two appearances. He joined North Ferriby United
North Ferriby United A.F.C.
North Ferriby United Association Football Club is an English football club based in North Ferriby, near Kingston upon Hull, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. They were formed in 1934. They reached the Northern Premier League Premier Division for the first time in 2005...
in August 2002.