[4] Expected to start a mining career, he instead impressed playing football at Canon Street School and Stoke Boys' Club and won an amateur contract at Port Vale in 1954.
[1] He also grew a beard and refused to shave until Vale were knocked out of the FA Cup, doing so after defeat to Aston Villa at the fifth round stage.
The "Superwhites" then failed to avoid relegation in the 1960–61 season under the stewardship of Walter Galbraith, and Barnett moved away from Prenton Park to Halifax Town in August 1961.
[7] He also represented Australia in a "B team" game against English First Division club Everton at Melbourne's Olympic Park Stadium on 10 May 1964, which ended in an 8–2 defeat.
[8] Barnett returned to England and joined Cheshire County League side Macclesfield Town, scoring two goals on his debut in a 3–3 draw with Witton Albion at Moss Rose on 1 January 1966.
[4] He died at the age of 83 in June 2019, and the following year, his daughter, Jane Beresford, reported that the family had donated his brain to dementia research.