Catterick had a fairly undistinguished playing career, he remained loyal to Everton for many years but spent much of that time as an understudy to Tommy Lawton & Jock Dodds. It was also interrupted by the war and a number of serious injuries. In December 1951 he moved to Crewe Alexandra as their player-manager but at the end of his first season, he retired from playing but continued to manage the club until June 1953.
In his five years at Rochdale he developed their most successful team in many years. His ability as a manager was beginning to be recognised and in August 1958, following Eric Taylor’ s decision to relinquish management of the team, Catterick was appointed as the Owl’ s manager.
Catterick’ s legacy to the club was a splendid team, firmly established in the First Divsion and a place in Europe for the first time but it was also a set of supporters intensely disappointed at losing his sevices and with a desire for success which had come so tantalisingly close.
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