A long time servant of League One side Southend United, George Burley moved to quickly to snap up the no-nonsense defender in the summer after his contract with the Shrimpers ran out at the end of last season.

His decision to move on ended a six season affair with a club where he played a major part in its rise to the Championship in 2006, and the Football League Trophy in 2005.

A commanding presence in the back line, Barrett also has an acute eye for goal, and in his first season with Southend he scored an amazing 11 goals from 46 appearances.

The Shrimpers picked him up from Bristol Rovers for a free in 2004,  where he had spent two years and made just short of 100 appearances. 

As a trainee Barrett started out with Leyton Orient in 1998, but he never managed to break through in to the O's first team and so accepted a free move to Plymouth Argyle in February 1999.

He spent the final months of the 1999/2000 season and the first half of the 2000/2001 season with the Pilgrims, before accepting a move to Mansfield Town for a fee of £10,000.  

In two seasons with The Stags he made 39 appearances.