[3] He went on to feature for English clubs Bristol Rovers, Crewe Alexandra, Colchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion.

However he played just 20 minutes under Ian Holloway, and was diagnosed with glandular fever thus losing a stone in weight and spending six-months on the sidelines.

Barrett quickly became a fan favorite at the club, in scoring a brace during a 3–2 win against Northampton Town on Boxing Day 2001.

Barrett then netted a further two goals in 20 games for Colchester, but an injury suffered during a 0–0 draw with Wycombe Wanderers curtailed the rest of his season.

As a mark of respect, United fans dressed in green in their final home game of the season, in a nod to Barrett's Irish roots.

[6] With Brighton, Barrett managed to attain 20 league starts, making a further ten appearances as a substitute, but again suffered a series of niggling injuries that held back his progress.

He joined Sheffield Wednesday on the loan deadline day in March 2005, where he scored once against Torquay United in six appearances.

[10] Barrett was told by manager Micky Adams that he was free to leave the club despite having one year remaining on his contract.

[7] Signing a two-year with Scottish side Falkirk following his release from Coventry in August 2006, with the Bairns' medical staff satisfied with his rehabilitation after his serious knee injury the previous season.

His manager at Rovers, Michael O'Neill, advised Barrett to assess his options, warning that he would "need to be careful and think about a few years' time."

Gary began his playing career with Shamrock Rovers in 1980 under Johnny Giles, where he scored a number of goals.