 Barrett playing forEbbsfleet United in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Neil William Barrett[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1981-12-24)24 December 1981 (age 44)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Tooting, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Central midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2001 | Chelsea | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2004 | Portsmouth | 26 | (2) |
| 2004 | →Dundee (loan) | 12 | (2) |
| 2004–2005 | Dundee | 30 | (2) |
| 2005–2006 | Livingston | 9 | (0) |
| 2007 | Woking | 7 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | Ebbsfleet United | 63 | (8) |
| 2009–2011 | York City | 63 | (6) |
| 2011 | Havant & Waterlooville | 5 | (0) |
| 2011–2013 | Ebbsfleet United | 68 | (2) |
| 2013–2014 | Basingstoke Town | 20 | (4) |
| 2014–2015 | Leatherhead | 10 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Metropolitan Police | 17 | (1) |
| Total | 327 | (27) | |
| International career | |||
| England schools | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Neil William Barrett (born 24 December 1981) is an English former professionalfootballer who played as acentral midfielder. He played inthe Football League forPortsmouth and in theScottish Premier League forDundee andLivingston.
Barrett started his career in theyouth system ofChelsea, before joining Portsmouth in 2001. He made over 20 appearances in hisfirst season with Portsmouth, but having not played over a season-and-a-half he moved to Dundee onloan. He joined them permanently in 2004, but left a year later following theirrelegation from the Scottish Premier League. Following a period with Livingston, he signed forConference National clubWoking in 2007. After half a season with them he joinedEbbsfleet United, and played for them in their victory in the2008 FA Trophy Final atWembley Stadium.
Barrett left Ebbsfleet after two seasons to sign forYork City in 2009 and played for them in the2010 Conference Premier play-off final at Wembley Stadium. He was released by York in 2011 and after a short spell withHavant & Waterlooville in theConference South he returned to Ebbsfleet United. After their relegation to the Conference South in 2013 he signed for their divisional rivalsBasingstoke Town, but was released by them after one season. He finished his career with spells in theIsthmian League Premier Division withLeatherhead andMetropolitan Police.
Barrett started his career as a trainee in theChelseayouth system.[4] While at the club he was anEngland schools international.[5] He joinedFirst Division clubPortsmouth on 25 June 2001 on a free transfer and made his first-team debut in a 1–0 victory away toStockport County on 25 August.[6][7] His first goal for Portsmouth came with the equaliser againstGillingham on 8 September 2001 with a header from aRobert Prosinečki cross, in a match that finished as a 2–1 victory.[7][8] Barrett was offered a new contract with Portsmouth in October 2001 after impressing in the first team.[9] He finished the2001–02 season with 26 appearances and two goals, despite not playing any matches for Portsmouth from March 2002.[7]
Barrett was taken to hospital with a suspected broken knee suffered during a reserve-team match againstBristol City in September 2002, although an X-ray later confirmed there was no break.[10][11] However, tests were carried out and he was expected to be out of the team for six weeks to recover from the injury.[12] Having fallen out of favour at Portsmouth, he had a trial atNotts County in December 2002 andmanagerBill Dearden commented that Barrett "could be a reasonable prospect".[13] He finished2002–03 with no appearances for Portsmouth[14] and was told by managerHarry Redknapp he was surplus to requirements.[15] He had a one-week trial withWimbledon in August 2003, having been told he could leave Portsmouth.[16]
Having made no appearances for Portsmouth up to that point during2003–04, Barrett joinedScottish Premier League (SPL) clubDundee onloan until the end of the season on 23 January 2004.[17] His debut came two days later in the 2–1 victory overDundee United in aDundee derby match,[18] in which he made a reasonable contribution and wascautioned for a "bone-crunching" challenge onCharlie Miller.[17][19] He scored his first two goals for Dundee in theScottish League Cup againstMotherwell, with a shot set up bySebastian Kneißl and a header, although Dundee went on to lose 5–3.[18][20] He finished the loan period with 13 appearances and two goals,[18] during which he had to deal with a "serious" ankle injury.[21]
He joined Dundee permanently on 18 July 2004, signing a one-year contract, after having his contract at Portsmouth cancelled.[22] He scored his first goal of 2004–05 on 18 December 2004 with a 57th-minute goal againstAberdeen that was set up byFabián Caballero, which earned his team a 1–0 victory.[23][24] He finished the season with 32 appearances and two goals while Dundee wererelegated to theScottish First Division,[23] and was released by the club in May 2001.[25]
Barrett had a trial withMajor League Soccer team theNew York/New Jersey MetroStars, and claimed he was offered a two-year contract, although this claim was denied by an organisation spokesman.[26] He started a trial withLeague Two clubOxford United in August 2005 and in his first match wassubstituted after six minutes after sustaining a head injury.[27][28] He resumed playing in the SPL after signing forLivingston on 9 September 2005, on a contract until January 2006, with the option of it being extended for a further three years, following a successful trial.[29] He made his debut two days later in a 4–1 defeat toHearts, during which he conceded apenalty kick.[30][31] He made 11 appearances for Livingston, with his last coming in December 2005.[30]Conference National clubExeter City handed him a one-week trial in September 2006,[32] and after training with them for six weeks he was offered a contract until January 2007.[33]
He eventually signed for another Conference National club,Woking, in January 2007 after being recommended to the club by former Dundee teammateTom Hutchinson and he made his debut in a 2–0 victory overAltrincham on 20 January, in which he had a goal disallowed that was adjudged to be offside.[34][35] Barrett missed some matches because of injury and finished 2006–07 with seven appearances for Woking,[36][37] and managerFrank Gray wanted him to return to the club for pre-season training.[38]
He signed for Woking'sConference Premier rivalsEbbsfleet United on a free transfer on 19 June 2007 as a replacement forMark DeBolla.[39][40] He made his debut in a 2–1 victory overNorthwich Victoria on 11 August 2007.[41] He sustained an ankle injury in the second match of 2007–08, which meant he was expected to be unable to play for six weeks,[42] before he made a "surprise" return after four weeks in a 1–1 draw withBurton Albion.[43][44] He scored his first goal with a shot from 20 yards, which was Ebbsfleet's first goal in a 4–1 victory overGrays Athletic.[41][45] He went on to score goals in two consecutive matches, with strikes in victories over Burton andWeymouth.[41] Barrett played for Ebbsfleet in the2008 FA Trophy Final atWembley Stadium on 10 May 2008, which the team won 1–0 againstTorquay United.[46] He finished the season with 44 appearances and three goals,[41] after which he signed a new one-year contract with Ebbsfleet.[47] He played for Ebbsfleet in their 3–2 defeat toStevenage Borough in thesemi-final first-leg of the FA Trophy on 14 March 2009,[48] during which he sustained a broken jaw while scoring a goal, which ruled him out for the remainder of 2008–09.[49] He finished the season with 37 appearances for Ebbsfleet, scoring seven goals.[48]
Barrett signed for Ebbsfleet's Conference Premier rivalsYork City on a free transfer on 29 June 2009.[50] He made his debut in a 2–1 defeat to Oxford on 8 August 2009, before scoring his first goal for the club with the opener in a 1–1 draw withLuton Town on 20 October with a shot in the bottom corner.[51][52] He scored the opening goal in a 3–1 defeat toPremier League teamStoke City in theFA Cupthird round on 2 January 2010, with a header from anAlex Lawless free kick.[53] He picked up a hamstring injury during March 2010, missing one match before making his return in a 1–0 victory overMansfield Town later that month.[51][54][55] He played in both legs of York's play-off semi-final victory over Luton, which finished 2–0 on aggregate.[51] He signed a new one-year contract with York on 13 May 2010.[56][57] He started in the2010 Conference Premier play-off final at Wembley Stadium on 16 May, being substituted on 81 minutes, with York losing 3–1 to Oxford.[58] He finished2009–10 with 51 appearances and five goals for York.[51]
Barrett made his first appearance of2010–11 in the second match, starting in a 0–0 draw away toGrimsby Town on 17 August 2010.[59] He scored his first goal of the season with an effort from six yards out to score the final goal in a 4–0 victory away toRushden & Diamonds on 20 November 2010.[59][60] He finished the season with 25 appearances and two goals before being released on 23 June 2011 after being told he could find another club.[59][61]
Following his release by York, Barrett went on trial with Luton and played the first half of their first friendly of the 2011–12 pre-season, a 4–2 victory away toHitchin Town.[62] He subsequently went on trial withKingstonian of theIsthmian League Premier Division and played in a friendly against former club Woking.[63] His next move came on 9 September 2011, when he signed forHavant & Waterlooville of theConference South on non-contract terms,[64][65] making his debut the following day after starting in a 2–2 draw at home toSutton United.[66] He was released by Havant in October 2011[67] after making seven appearances for the club.[68]
Barrett returned to Conference Premier club Ebbsfleet United on 4 November 2011 on non-contract terms after contacting managerLiam Daish over the possibility of signing.[65][69] His second debut for the club came the following day in a 1–0 away win overNewport County, and scored his first goal of 2011–12 came with a header in a 3–2 win away toGateshead on 3 March 2012.[70][71] Barrett made 28 appearances and score done goal as Ebbsfleet finished 14th in the Conference Premier,[70] before signing a new one-year contract with the club in July 2012.[72] He combined playing with being Ebbsfleet's commercial manager during 2011–12.[73] Barrett missed only four matches for Ebbsfleet in 2012–13, making 45 appearances and scoring one goal,[74] as the team were relegated to the Conference South after ranking 23rd in the Conference Premier table.[75]
Barrett signed for Conference South clubBasingstoke Town on 1 July 2013.[76] His debut came in Basingstoke's 2–1 win away againstConcord Rangers on 17 August 2013, before scoring his first goal for the club in a 2–0 home win overEastleigh on 24 August.[77] He made 28 appearances and scored four goals in 2013–14[77] as Basingstoke finished in 14th place in the Conference South table.[78] He was released by the club in May 2014.[79]
Barrett joined Isthmian League Premier Division clubLeatherhead during 2014–15 and made his debut as a 73rd-minute substitute in their 2–1 away defeat toMaidstone United on 9 December 2014.[80] He made 11 appearances[80] as they achieved a 10th-place finish in the Isthmian League Premier Division table.[81] Barrett signed for Leatherhead's divisional rivalsMetropolitan Police in September 2015,[82] and made his debut in a 1–1 home draw withVCD Athletic on 19 September.[83] He later worked as the club's commercial manager.[84]
Barrett played as acentral midfielder and provided "plenty of drive in midfield".[85] He described himself as being "one to get in the box" and having "a bit of a knack of being in the right place at the right time".[86] He was described as being "not afraid of sticking his foot in".[87] Ebbsfleet manager Liam Daish commented that "He will bring a physical presence to our midfield and is capable of getting his name on the score sheet." and while at the club was pivotal in midfield.[38][88]
Barrett was born inTooting, Greater London.[89] His wife Rebecca, whom he married inLeatherhead, Surrey on 29 May 2010, works as a flight attendant forVirgin Atlantic and he has 3 sons called George, Bertie and Alfred.[4][90][91]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Portsmouth | 2001–02[7] | First Division | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | |
| 2002–03[14] | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04[18] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | |||
| Dundee (loan) | 2003–04[18] | Scottish Premier League | 12 | 2 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 13 | 2 | ||
| Dundee | 2004–05[23] | Scottish Premier League | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 2 | |
| Total | 42 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 45 | 4 | |||
| Livingston | 2005–06[30] | Scottish Premier League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |
| Woking | 2006–07[37] | Conference National | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Ebbsfleet United | 2007–08[41] | Conference Premier | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 9[c] | 1 | 44 | 3 | |
| 2008–09[48] | Conference Premier | 29 | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | 5[d] | 1 | 37 | 7 | ||
| Total | 63 | 8 | 4 | 0 | — | 14 | 2 | 81 | 10 | |||
| York City | 2009–10[51] | Conference Premier | 41 | 4 | 4 | 1 | — | 6[e] | 0 | 51 | 5 | |
| 2010–11[59] | Conference Premier | 22 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 25 | 2 | ||
| Total | 63 | 6 | 7 | 1 | — | 6 | 0 | 76 | 7 | |||
| Havant & Waterlooville | 2011–12[68] | Conference South | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Ebbsfleet United | 2011–12[70] | Conference Premier | 26 | 1 | — | — | 2[d] | 0 | 28 | 1 | ||
| 2012–13[74] | Conference Premier | 42 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 1[d] | 0 | 45 | 1 | ||
| Total | 68 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 73 | 2 | |||
| Basingstoke Town | 2013–14[77] | Conference South | 20 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 7[f] | 0 | 28 | 4 | |
| Leatherhead | 2014–15[80] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 10 | 0 | — | — | 1[g] | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16[92] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[h] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |||
| Metropolitan Police | 2015–16[83] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 17 | 1 | — | — | 6[i] | 2 | 23 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 327 | 27 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 4 | 386 | 32 | ||
Ebbsfleet United
