Born in Scotland in March 1896, Pratt enjoyed a successful playing career after the First World War, starting with Celtic in 1919. He later headed south of the border to join Bradford City in 1921 and would later feature for clubs including Liverpool and Yeovil Town.
It was with the latter that Pratt began his managerial career in 1929 and things got off to a stunning start. The 1929/30 campaign saw the non-league side win both the Western League Division One title and Somerset Professional Cup, followed by the South League Western Section two years later.
Noting his achievements, the O’s board appointed Pratt in June 1933 and in his first season in East London, he guided the club to a respectable eleventh place finish; their highest League position since being relegated to the third tier in 1929. Their form had been greatly improved after the signing of Scottish forward Dave Halliday in December. He would score nineteen goals in just twenty-one matches, including three in a 9-2 thrashing of Aldershot on 10th February; the most goals the O’s have scored in a Football League match to date.
Despite this, Halliday struggled to recapture his form the following season and the O’s spent most of the time in the bottom half of the table. Accordingly, Pratt resigned his post on 15th December 1934, the same day as Orient achieved a 5-2 victory over Bristol Rovers.
Pratt joined Notts County in 1935, but managed the side for just two months before heading back to Scotland with Heart of Midlothian later that year. He would also undertake short spells managing Bangor City and Port Vale, later working for the BBC.
