Andy Butler

Andrew Peter Butler (born 4 November 1983) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Scunthorpe United, and also manages women's football team Doncaster Rovers Belles.

This article is about the English footballer. For the American musician, see Hercules and Love Affair.

Andy Butler
Butler in 2011
Personal information
Full name Andrew Peter Butler[1]
Date of birth (1983-11-04) 4 November 1983
Place of birth Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position(s) Defender
Club information
Current team

Scunthorpe United (player)

Doncaster Rovers Belles (manager)
Number 6
Youth career
Scunthorpe United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2008 Scunthorpe United 134 (15)
2006 → Grimsby Town (loan) 4 (0)
2008–2010 Huddersfield Town 53 (4)
2010 → Blackpool (loan) 7 (0)
2010–2014 Walsall 159 (14)
2014–2015 Sheffield United 0 (0)
2014 → Walsall (loan) 7 (0)
2014–2015 → Doncaster Rovers (loan) 9 (1)
2015–2019 Doncaster Rovers 184 (14)
2019– Scunthorpe United 11 (0)
Teams managed
2020– Doncaster Rovers Belles
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:11, 17 January 2020 (UTC)

Born in Doncaster, he has previously played for Walsall, Scunthorpe United, Grimsby Town, Huddersfield Town, Blackpool, Sheffield United and Doncaster Rovers. Butler is also a qualified referee.[2]

Career

Scunthorpe United

Butler started his career at Scunthorpe United. He made his debut for the Iron, then in the Third Division, on 20 September 2003 as a 34th-minute substitute in a 1–1 draw with Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road. His full debut came three days later, a 2–3 defeat to Burnley at Glanford Park in the third round of the 2003–04 League Cup. Midway through the season Butler signed a four-year contract.[3]

On 7 February 2004 he scored his first goal in a 2–2 home draw with Doncaster Rovers. He made a total of 42 appearances, scoring two goals in the 2003–04 season. The following season he scored ten goals in 37 league games as Scunthorpe finished second in League Two and were promoted to League One. His goal tally that season included scoring twice in a 3–2 home win over Lincoln City on 21 August 2004 and two goals in a 3–1 victory over Rushden & Diamonds at Nene Park on 18 December. He suffered a serious injury in early 2005 before returning to action later in the season. At the end of the season he won four different honours at the club's annual awards.[3]

The 2005–06 season saw Butler suffer a string of injuries. On 14 January 2006 he was injured in a 1–1 draw with Bristol City at Ashton Gate and was ruled out for the rest of the season.[3]

Prior to the start of the 2006–07 season Butler was injured again, dislocating his shoulder in a pre-season friendly with Leeds United. He was out of action until October 2006 when he joined League Two side Grimsby Town on loan, in order to build up his match fitness. He made five appearances for the Mariners. On his return to Scunthorpe he was unable to break back into the first team until later on in the season as the Iron won promotion to the Championship as League One champions.[3]

In the 2007–08 season Butler made 36 league appearances, scoring two goals as the Iron finished 23rd in the Championship and were relegated back to League One. In May 2008 he appeared on Soccer AM's Crossbar Challenge on Sky Sports 1 dressed as Wonder Woman.[4] Butler left Scunthorpe in June 2008, turning down a new three-year contract offer,[5] so he could move to a club that would be more suitable for his family needs. In six years with the club, Butler made a total of 153 appearances scoring 13 times, playing for them in all three divisions of The Football League.

Huddersfield Town

On 2 July 2008 Butler joined League One club Huddersfield Town on a three-year deal.[5] Along with five other players, he made his Huddersfield debut in a 1–1 draw with Stockport County at the Galpharm Stadium on 9 August 2008. His first goal came in a 3–2 home win over Crewe Alexandra on 1 November 2008. He made a total of 45 appearances in the 2008–09 season, scoring four goals. Butler began the 2009–10 season as a first team regular. However, Terriers manager Lee Clark started using Peter Clarke and Nathan Clarke as the club's regular centre back pairing.

On 7 January 2010, after not making an appearance for two months, Butler joined Championship side Blackpool on loan until the end of the season.[6] On the move up a division Butler said, "I'm really happy with the move. It's a weird one because I've gone a step up, but it's something I'm hoping to thrive on. It looks a good club and I'm happy to be here. Hopefully I can play as many games as I can and help this club where it wants to go, which is the Premiership I suppose."[7] He made his debut two days later in a 1–1 draw with Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium.

After helping Blackpool reach the Premier League, Butler returned to the Galpharm, but had the remainder of his contract paid up on 23 June 2010. In October 2010 Butler joined Rochdale on a trial basis but failed to agree a contract.

Walsall

On 12 November 2010, Butler joined Football League One side Walsall on a contract until the end of the season. Butler was signed by Chris Hutchings, who was sacked on 4 January 2011—the day after a 4–1 defeat to Peterborough United—following a run of poor League form since the beginning of the season, which had seen Walsall sink to the bottom of League One. He was appointed captain after Dean Smith, the club's Head of Youth, took charge of the first team, and scored his first goal for Walsall in a 3–3 draw against fellow strugglers Tranmere Rovers on 8 January 2011. An impressive second half of the season earned Butler Walsall's Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season awards. On 13 May 2011, Butler signed a new two-year contract, keeping him at the club until June 2013. In early May 2014, Butler was offered a new contract with Walsall,[8] however, he rejected new terms with Walsall on 22 May; he made 176 appearances in total for the West Midlands club.[9]

Sheffield United

On 5 June 2014, Butler signed a two-year deal with Sheffield United on a free transfer after rejecting the offer of a new deal with Walsall.[10] On 13 August 2014, Butler scored on his début against Mansfield Town in the League Cup. On 11 September 2014, Butler was loaned to former club Walsall on a one-month loan deal after finding first team football hard to come by at United.[11] Butler returned to Sheffield United on 20 October 2014.[12]

Doncaster Rovers

On 23 October 2014, Butler went out on loan to home-town club Doncaster Rovers until January 2015.[13] On 6 January 2015, Butler signed permanently for Doncaster Rovers for an undisclosed fee on a two-and-a-half-year deal, having made 13 appearances during his loan spell.[14]

He went on to play in 222 games and scoring 17 goals for the club. Manager Darren Ferguson made Butler the Club Captain at the beginning of the 2016–17 season,[15] a position he retained until leaving Doncaster.[16][17] Butler was one of the four nominees for EFL League One Player of the Month in both January 2015[18] and December 2017, "Led the defence by example with a superb goal-line clearance against Oldham and then headed Rovers in front in the same game – one of two goals he scored in December".[19]

He was named as PFA Player in the Community for the 2016–17 season in recognition of his community work in and around his hometown of Doncaster.[20]

In 2017, Butler became a member of the management committee of the PFA.[21]

He was offered a new contract, a one-year deal including coaching, by Doncaster at the end of the 2018–19 season[22] but rejected this in favour of a return to Scunthorpe United.[23]

Career statistics
As of 17 January 2020.
Club statistics
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Scunthorpe United 2003–04[24] Third Division 34240103[lower-alpha 1]0422
2004–05[25] League Two 37103010004110
2005–06[26] League One 16130102[lower-alpha 1]0221
2006–07[27] League One 110000000110
2007–08[28] Championship 3620010—372
Total 13415100405015315
Grimsby Town (loan) 2006–07[27] League Two 4000001[lower-alpha 1]050
Huddersfield Town 2008–09[29] League One 42410101[lower-alpha 1]0454
2009–10[30] League One 11000101[lower-alpha 1]0130
Total 534102020584
Blackpool (loan) 2009–10[30] Championship 7000000070
Walsall 2010–11[31] League One 314100000324
2011–12[32] League One 42530102[lower-alpha 1]0485
2012–13[33] League One 41320201[lower-alpha 1]0463
2013–14[34] League One 45220201[lower-alpha 1]0502
Total 1591480504017614
Sheffield United 2014–15[35] League One 0000110011
Walsall (loan) 2014–15[35] League One 7000000070
Doncaster Rovers 2014–15[35][lower-alpha 2] League One 9130001[lower-alpha 1]0131
242100000252
2015–16[36] League One 40430202[lower-alpha 1]0474
2016–17[37] League Two 443101000463
2017–18[38] League One 36430202[lower-alpha 1]0434
2018–19[39] League One 40141103[lower-alpha 3]1[lower-alpha 4]483
Doncaster total 19315151608122217
Scunthorpe United 2019–20[40] League Two 110101010140
Career total 5684835119121164351
  1. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
  2. Butler made 13 appearances on loan for the club before joining permanently on 6 January 2015
  3. 1 Appearance in Football League Trophy and 2 in League One Play-offs
  4. Goal in League One Play-offs

Honours
Scunthorpe United
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References
  1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Scunthorpe United" (PDF). English Football League. p. 63. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  2. Smyth, Rob; Ashdown, John (30 March 2016). "Are Barcelona about to break the record for the longest unbeaten run?". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  3. "Profile – Andy Butler". Scunthorpe United F.C. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  4. "Crossbar Challenge – Best of". Sky Sports. 17 May 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  5. "Profile – Andy Butler". Huddersfield Town F.C. Archived from the original on 4 January 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  6. "Butler joins Blackpool on loan". Huddersfield Town A.F.C. Archived from the original on 11 January 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  7. "Butler Set For Debut at Cardiff". Blackpool. Archived from the original on 10 January 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  8. "Craig Westcarr: Walsall release top scorer in eight-man clear-out". BBC News. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  9. "Andy Butler: Walsall captain rejects contract offer". BBC Sport. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  10. "Sheffield United: Butler and Basham become Blades". Sheffield Star. 5 June 2014. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  11. "Andy Butler: Walsall sign former skipper on loan from Sheff Utd". BBC Sport. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  12. "Butler Returns To Sheffield United". Vital Football. 20 October 2014. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  13. "Doncaster sign Sheffield United defender Andy Butler on loan". BBC Sport. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  14. "Andy Butler: Doncaster Rovers sign Sheffield United defender". BBC Sport. 6 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  15. "Doncaster Rovers: Andy Butler is new club captain, James Coppinger team captain". Doncaster Free Press. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  16. "Butler completes UEFA A licence". Doncaster Rovers Official Site. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  17. "Butler believes play-offs provide platform for next season". Doncaster Rovers Official Site. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  18. "Monthly Awards Sky Bet League 1 Player of the Month nominations". The EFL. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  19. "League One Player of the Month: December nomineesdate=10 January 2018". The EFL. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  20. "EFL Q&A: Andy Butler on loyalty to Doncaster Rovers, Sheffield Wednesday and Akinfenwa". The Express. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  21. "Blackpool player joins PFA committee". Blackpool Gazette. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  22. "Doncaster Rovers: Tommy Rowe, Andy Butler & Danny Andrew offered new deals". BBC Sport. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  23. "Andy Butler: Defender joins Scunthorpe United after rejecting contract with Doncaster". BBC Sport. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  24. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  25. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  26. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  27. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  28. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  29. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  30. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  31. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  32. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  33. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  34. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  35. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  36. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  37. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  38. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  39. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  40. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
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