| Bth | 16/01/51 | Aldershot | |
| P/H/W | Midfield | 5ft 8in | |
| Jnd | 02/80 (29) | Aston Villa | loan |
| Deb | 09/02/80 (29) | Wrexham (a) | Div 2 |
| Dep. | 03/80 (29) | Aston Villa | loan end |
| A/G | 3 |
| Season | App | Gls | Posn |
| 1979/80 | 3 | 10,4 |
Former Scottish international Alex Cropley arrived on loan at the end of February 1980 as McGarry looked to bolster his midfield options with both Mick Martin and Terry Hibbitt injured.
His career at Villa Park had been decimated by two broken legs and two broken ankles and he was looking for a fresh start and to "prove a few people wrong".
McGarry admitted he was “going on memory” as he hadn’t seen him play recently, but believed: "he can help us and we can help him". A permanent deal would have cost about £100,000.
However he struggled, suffered a thigh strain in a friendly and was substituted in two out of the three League games he played. Although he admitted he had been poor he claimed that "even Pele would have trouble settling in here at the moment".
The portrait is part of the nufc collection ‘Men in Stripes’ and is copyright Piotr Jozefowicz.
For a more extensive biography of his full career see the Paul Joannou book "Newcastle United - The Complete Who's Who 1881-2014" and the accompanying supplement "The Ultimate Who's Who Supplement 1"