All at Wrexham AFC are saddened to learn of the passing of former player and coach Terry Darracott, aged 71.
Best known for his time at Everton, after breaking through their youth ranks before making nearly 150 league appearances in 12 years at Goodison Park, Terry also spent a season with Wrexham.
The full-back signed for Arfon Griffiths’ Second Division side in 1979, playing 22 league games and five cup matches in his solitary season at the Racecourse Ground, before his career was curtailed by injury.
After retiring and going into coaching, Terry returned to the Racecourse Ground in October 2008 as Dean Saunders’ assistant manager – spending a further year with the Club before injury forced him to step away from the role.
With thanks to Peter Jones, please see the following information about Terry's life and career. The thoughts of all at Wrexham AFC are with Terry's family and friends.
'One of the most genuine and well loved characters Merseyside has ever produced', these words from the book, 'Everton - A Complete Record' by Gordon Smailes and Ian Ross, illustrate the high esteem in which this popular full-back was held by the Goodison faithful during his time with Everton.
Terry had begun playing football at St.Anne's Roman Catholic school in the Edge Hill district of his native Liverpool, from where he went on to represent Liverpool and Liverpool and District Schoolboys. It was not long before he was invited along for trials with Everton, and he signed amateur forms for the 'Toffeemen' in the summer of 1966.
Terry gradually worked his way through the youth and reserve teams before he earned an unexpected first team call-up at the age of 17 years and 122 days old in April 1968, becoming the youngest man to play for Everton at Goodison.
He had been asked to deputise for the injured World Cup hero Ray Wilson against Arsenal at Goodison Park in front of a crowd of 40,000. Everton won 2-0, and he went on to spend a total of thirteen years with them, making 148 League appearances.
His greatest memory was playing at Wembley in the 1977 League Cup Final against Aston Villa, to whom they eventually lost after a second replay. Terry left Everton at the end of the 1978/79 season, despite being offered a coaching post.
He went to America to play for Tulsa Roughnecks in the North American Soccer League (NASL), during the summer of 1979, where he came up against the likes of Franz Beckenbaur, Johan Cruyff, Carlos Alberto, Johnny Neeskens, Gerd Muller, George Best and Teofilo Cubbilas.
Terry returned home after their season had ended, and within a few days he had received a call from the Wrexham manager Arfon Griffiths. He joined Second Division Wrexham in September 1979, and made his debut in a 2-1 home win over Leyton Orient, providing the cross that led to Wrexham's first goal scored by Alan Hill.
Darracott held the right-back position for most of that season until he sustained a knee injury against Birmingham City, which eventually led to him having to hang up his boots. His biggest match for Wrexham was against Everton in an F.A.Cup fifth round match at Goodison Park, when he was made captain for the day. However, it was hardly a day he would want to remember as Wrexham lost 5-2!
After retiring from the game he took up employment as Landlord of the Royal Oak Public House in Flint, keeping in touch with football by running his pub's team, and he followed this by coaching Prescot. It wasn't long before he was to return to professional football, becoming reserve team coach at Everton in 1984.
Terry's close friendship with Mike Lyons, who was the opposing captain on the day Wrexham played at Everton, saw them join forces at Grimsby Town in October 1985, with Darracott installed as Lyons' assistant manager. Life at Blundell Park proved to be a struggle, and in 1987 he returned to Goodison Park as first team coach to Colin Harvey. He remained with Everton until Howard Kendall returned from Athletico Bilbao in Spain, to take over at Manchester City, and invited Terry to become his assistant manager in November 1989.
Kendall's stay was short-lived, but Darracott remained at Maine Road and became the club's youth team coach until 1993, when he accepted a similar post at Blackburn Rovers, where Darracott was on the backroom team of manager Kenny Dalglish in the club’s 1994/95 Premier League title-winning campaign.
He returned to the Racecourse as assistant manager to Dean Saunders in 2008, a stint that lasted one year before injury forced him to step away from the role.
Darracott subsequently worked as European scout for Bolton Wanderers, before a role as video analyst at Hull City.
He passed away on March 23, 2022 at the age of 71.