John Butler (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Edward Butler | ||
| Date of birth | 7 February 1962 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Playing position | Right back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| – | Prescot Cables | ||
| 1981–1988 | Wigan Athletic | 245 | (15) |
| 1988–1995 | Stoke City | 262 | (7) |
| 1995–1997 | Wigan Athletic | 57 | (1) |
| – | Stalybridge Celtic | ||
| Total | 564 | (23) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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John Edward Butler (born 7 February 1962) is an English former association footballer who played in the Football League for Wigan Athletic and Stoke City chalking up 300 senior appearances for both clubs.
A player of versatility, he played in all 11 positions on the pitch at some point in his career. His specialist position was right back. In a 16-season professional career, Butler played in three successful promotion campaigns that included lifting two divisional titles he also won the Football League Trophy in 1992.
Butler was born in Liverpool and grew up in the Wavertree area with his mother, step father, three brothers and one sister. He played football at non-league side Prescot Cables to whom he was introduced by Jimmy Wield, the man Butler cites as the person to give him a career as a professional footballer. Butler was being scouted by Liverpool with Geoff Twentyman and Tom Saunders scheduled to watch him. However the game in question was cancelled and Wigan Athletic seized the opportunity with assistant manager Harry McNally offering Butler terms the day after.
Joining at Christmas at the age of 19 and soon establishing himself in the first team, Butler enjoyed success in his first season. In 1981–82 in English football under the management of Larry Lloyd, Wigan were promoted from the fourth to the third tier. The "Latics" finished third behind Sheffield United and Bradford City. Butler's versatility saw him play in all eleven positions on the pitch in his Wigan career including goalkeeper when Nigel Atkins was substituted in a game due to injury. Butler was the club player of the year in 1984. The best run of his career in the two major domestic cups was reaching the quarter finals in the 1986–87 FA Cup when Wigan were beaten 2–0 at home by Leeds United. His first spell at Wigan spanned seven seasons.
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