Bill McGarry

William Harry McGarry (10 June 1927 – 15 March 2005) was an England international association footballer and manager who spent 40 years in the professional game.

He had a reputation for toughness, both as a player and as a manager.

A right-half as a player, he joined Port Vale following the end of World War II, and spent the next six years with the club.

William Harry McGarry was born on 10 June 1927 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire to Ralph and Ethel (née Vernon).

McGarry began his career at local non-League club Northwood Mission, based in Hanley, before joining David Pratt's Port Vale as an amateur in April 1945, signing professional forms in June of that year.

He was handed his debut by Billy Frith at the Old Recreation Ground on boxing day 1945, in a 1–0 defeat by Walsall.

Under Gordon Hodgson's stewardship, he played seven Third Division South games in the 1946–47 season.

He forced his way into the first XI by November 1947, and scored his first goal on boxing day in a 5–0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

He played a total of 27 games in the 1947–48 campaign.

He featured 41 times in the 1948–49 season, scoring one goal against Torquay United.

He was an ever-present throughout the 46 game 1949–50 season, and found the net once on the final day of the season, in a 2–1 defeat to Ipswich Town at Portman Road.

He later married Constance Dale in 1950.

He played 35 games in the 1950–51 season, and scored in games away at Millwall and Torquay, before he was sold on to First Division side Huddersfield Town for a £12,000 fee in March 1951.

"Terriers" manager George Stephenson bought McGarry to play in a defensive partnership with Laurie Kelly.

He built a reputation as a tough-tackling, sturdy wing-half, and featured ten times towards the end of the 1950–51 season.

He then moved on to Huddersfield Town in 1951, where he would spend the next ten years of his career.

He then scored twice in 43 games in 1951–52, as Huddersfield suffered relegation.

He was an ever-present as Town won promoted out of the Second Division in 1952–53.

New boss Andy Beattie led the club to immediate promoted out of the Second Division with a second-place finish in 1952–53.

McGarry played all 44 games, in an extremely settled defence that featured himself, Kelly, Don McEvoy, Len Quested, Ron Staniforth, and goalkeeper Jack Wheeler; remarkably, the six men played every minute of the campaign, and had the best defensive record in the Football League with just 33 goals conceded in 42 league games.

Town's solid defence then helped them to finish third in the top-flight in 1953–54, just six points behind champions Wolverhampton Wanderers; McGarry was again an ever-present, scoring four goals in 43 appearances.

After winning one England "B" cap in 1954, he went on to win four senior England caps.

He then scored once in 38 games in 1954–55, as Town posted a 12th-place finish.

He then scored four goals in 41 games in 1955–56, as their once solid defence leaked goals and cost them relegation as they finished below 20th place Aston Villa on goal average.

Bill Shankly took charge at Leeds Road in November 1956, and took the club to 12th in the Second Division in 1956–57; he kept faith with McGarry, who scored twice in 36 appearances.

He scored six goals in 36 games in 1957–58, as Huddersfield rose slightly to ninth place.

His goal tally included a successfully converted penalty in the 7–6 defeat to Charlton Athletic at The Valley on 21 December; ten-man Charlton came back from 5–1 down in what The Guardian described as "the most remarkable comeback in football history".

They then dropped down to 14th in 1958–59, with McGarry scoring four goals in 32 games.

He scored once in 38 games in 1959–60; Town posted a sixth-place finish under new boss Eddie Boot, who took charge after Shankly left the club to manage Liverpool.

McGarry scored once in 20 appearances in 1960–61, as Town dropped down to 20th place.

He retired in 1963, after spending two years as Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic's player-manager.

In all he scored 33 goals in 617 league and cup games in an eighteen-year career in the Football League.

He also found success as a manager, moving from Bournemouth to Watford in 1963, he was appointed as Ipswich Town manager the following year.

There he led the club to the Second Division championship in 1967–68, before moving on to the vacant position at Wolverhampton Wanderers later in 1968.

He spent eight years with "Wolves", leading them to the UEFA Cup final in 1972 and to League Cup glory in 1974.

He became an international manager with Saudi Arabia in 1976, only to return to the domestic game with Newcastle United the following year.

He failed to find success at Newcastle, and left the club in 1980, before finding work in Zambia with Power Dynamos FC.

He spent two months as Wolves manager in 1985, before leaving his management career behind him.

After a long battle against illness, he died on 15 March 2005, aged 77.

He had one son and one daughter.