Thomas Garrett (28 February 1926 – 16 April 2006) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

. He represented his country on three occasions. Garrett was a miner playing for Horden Colliery when Blackpool signed him as a 16-year-old in 1942, initially as a forward. It was as a full-back, however, that he established himself – and as a "footballing" defender, who preferred to pass his way out of trouble rather than kicking it downfield. He also spent hours practising heading the ball. Garrett made his debut for the Seasiders on 29 March 1948, in a single-goal defeat at

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...

. He did not become a regular in the side until

Ron Suart Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

left for

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

in 1949. The 1950s are the most successful decade in Blackpool's history to date. Garrett would be at the club playing top division football throughout, as would goalkeeper

George Farm George Neil Farm (13 July 1924 – 18 July 2004) was a Scottish professional football goalkeeper and manager. Born in Slateford, a suburb of Edinburgh, Farm represented his country on ten occasions, the last three of which occurred after a g ...

, fellow defender Hugh Kelly, right winger

Stanley Matthews Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE (1 February 1915 – 23 February 2000) was an English footballer who played as an outside right. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the British game, he is the only player to have been knighted while sti ...

, forward Jackie Mudie and outside left Bill Perry. He could perform equally well on either flank, and played in both the

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

and 1953 FA Cup Finals, appearing in the latter with a broken nose sustained a week beforehand. It was during this period of his career that he gained his

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

caps, partnering Alf Ramsey. He made his international debut against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

on 5 April 1952. After 14 years with Blackpool, Garrett joined

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...

on a free transfer in May 1961, making a dozen appearances for the Lions before retiring from the professional game and joining Fleetwood . He then played for a short time in Australia, with Mayfield United, and eventually settled there. He died on 16 April 2006 in

Wallsend, New South Wales Wallsend is a western suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia from Newcastle's central business district. It is part of the City of Newcastle local government area. Origins The Awabakal and Worimi peoples are acknowledged by City of N ...

References

External links

The Football Association profile
*
Profile at EnglandFC.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garrett, Tommy 1926 births 2006 deaths Men's association football defenders Blackpool F.C. players English Football League players English Football League representative players English men's footballers England men's international footballers Fleetwood Town F.C. players Millwall F.C. players Footballers from South Shields Wigan Athletic F.C. players