Garratt George Image 2 Crystal Palace 1911

Description

Although born at Byker, Newcastle, outside right George Garratt played junior football in the Midlands for Cradley Heath St Luke’s in 1899 and Brierley Hill Alliance in 1902 before joining Crewe Alexandra in 1904, from where he joined First Division Aston Villa in 1905, making his Football League debut against Newcastle United that November. He made 17 appearances, scoring once in an FA Cup tie at Plymouth Argyle, and he ended up moving to Home Park in the summer of 1906. Garratt played regularly at outside right during his only season with Argyle, scoring 3 goals in 31 appearances. The 1906-07 club handbook described him as “a speedy winger, who takes the ball on the run very cleverly and centres and shoots well”.

After leaving Plymouth he spent 1907-08 back in the Football League with West Bromwich Albion, making 30 appearances and scoring 3 goals during a single season at The Hawthorns, before a highly successful spell with Crystal Palace, whom he joined in the 1908 close season, for whom he played 185 times, scoring 8 goals. A report of his time with Palace states that he was “the epitome of the goal-maker, whose efforts were recognised by his colleagues and opponents and by the discerning fan, but were perhaps not so well appreciated by less perceptive onlookers or pressmen”. Garratt was recognised with a number of minor representative honours and after leaving Palace ended his career with spells at Millwall Athletic in 1913 and with non league Kidderminster Harriers in 1920.