Martin Butler
Encyclopedia
Martin Neil Butler is a former English
footballer
who played as a striker
between 1993 and 2009. Butler notably played for Walsall
, Cambridge United
and Reading
. He also had spells with Rotherham United
, Grimsby Town
, Burton Albion
and Worcester City
.
, Shropshire
, attending Castlefields Primary School and Oldbury Wells School
.Butler started his career at Walsall, where he rose through the youth ranks. Following rave reviews, he made his senior debut in the 1993-94
season.
for £22,500 in the summer of 1997. A prolific spell at the Abbey Stadium
prompted Reading
to pay around the £750k mark for his services in February 2000
Football League Second Division
Playoff
Final in May 2001, although Reading went on to lose the match 3-2 to Butler's old team Walsall. On 6 November 2001, Butler was stretchered off during Reading's 2-0 win over Wrexham
, suffering serious damage to his ankle. He broke his ankle and fibula, and suffered ligament damage competing for a ball on the touchline after his foot stuck in the ground. He did not play again until April 2002, but his goals that season still helped Reading to get promoted to the First Division
in second place.
in a £150,000 deal in August 2003.
side Grimsby Town
. The move lasted until January at which point Grimsby signed him on a permanent deal. He made his debut for Grimsby on 20 October against Wycombe Wanderers
. Butler's time at Grimsby was troubled due to the players concerns that his 350 mile round trip from his Worcester
home to Grimsby
were affecting his performances on and off the pitch, and he notably missed training regularly due to the time it took to commute. Alan Buckley
attempted to offload Butler to Hereford United
on transfer deadline day, which was only two months after signing a two year deal at Blundell Park
, but the player rejected Hereford's contract offer. In an attempt to amend relations with Grimsby, Butler returned to regular training and won back his place in the side next to Danny North
and helped The Mariners climb from 19th in League Two, to 10th. Despite Butler's renewed attempts to salvage his Grimsby career, he reignited his travel problems, and this eventually saw the player drop out of contention at the club. He played his last game for the club in the Carling Cup fixture with Blackburn Rovers
and after that he was shelved by Buckley who dropped him to the reserves, which is where he remained for the rest of his time at Grimsby before he was eventually released in October 2008 by the club's new manager Mike Newell
.
's first signing at Burton Albion
when he signed a contract until May 2009, he was released at the end of the season.
in July 2009.
It was said that Butler would be heading towards management, however nothing has arisen.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who played as a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
between 1993 and 2009. Butler notably played for Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
, Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
and Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
. He also had spells with Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
, Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
, Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
and Worcester City
Worcester City F.C.
Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club are currently members of the Conference North and play at St George's Lane.-History:...
.
Walsall
Butler spent most of his youth in BridgnorthBridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, attending Castlefields Primary School and Oldbury Wells School
Oldbury Wells School
Oldbury Wells School is a comprehensive school in Bridgnorth, England. The 2010 Ofsted inspection lists the school as "the best school in shropshire" having 1,034 pupils, 224 of whom are in the sixth form...
.Butler started his career at Walsall, where he rose through the youth ranks. Following rave reviews, he made his senior debut in the 1993-94
1993-94 in English football
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
season.
Cambridge United
However, his career at Walsall faltered, and he was allowed to join Cambridge UnitedCambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
for £22,500 in the summer of 1997. A prolific spell at the Abbey Stadium
Abbey Stadium
The Abbey Stadium, known as R Costings Abbey Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Cambridge, England. It has been the home ground of Cambridge United F.C. since 1932, and currently has a maximum capacity of 9,617 spectators...
prompted Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
to pay around the £750k mark for his services in February 2000
Reading
Butler continued his fine goal-scoring form - including a goal in the 2000-012000-01 in English football
The 2000–01 season was the 121st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Manchester United secured their 3rd Premiership title in succession and their 7th title in just nine seasons...
Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
Playoff
Football League Play-Offs
The Football League play-offs are an annual series of football matches to determine some of the promotion places within the Football League. Essentially, each division of the league offers a certain number of automatic promotion places to the top two or three clubs. A further promotion place is...
Final in May 2001, although Reading went on to lose the match 3-2 to Butler's old team Walsall. On 6 November 2001, Butler was stretchered off during Reading's 2-0 win over Wrexham
Wrexham A.F.C.
Wrexham Football Club are a professional football team based in Wrexham, north-east Wales, who play in the English football pyramid.Founded in 1872, they are one of the oldest surviving football clubs in Britain and the oldest professional club in Wales...
, suffering serious damage to his ankle. He broke his ankle and fibula, and suffered ligament damage competing for a ball on the touchline after his foot stuck in the ground. He did not play again until April 2002, but his goals that season still helped Reading to get promoted to the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
in second place.
Rotherham United
After his injury, Butler could not recapture the form for Reading that he'd shown before, and after floating in and out of the first team, he was sold to Rotherham UnitedRotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
in a £150,000 deal in August 2003.
Walsall (second spell)
Butler then moved back to Walsall three seasons later on a free transfer, signing a two-year deal on 1 July 2006.Grimsby Town
In October 2007 Butler, whose contract with Walsall is due to end at the end of the 2007/08 season, signed a three-month loan deal at Football League TwoFootball League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
. The move lasted until January at which point Grimsby signed him on a permanent deal. He made his debut for Grimsby on 20 October against Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
. Butler's time at Grimsby was troubled due to the players concerns that his 350 mile round trip from his Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
home to Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
were affecting his performances on and off the pitch, and he notably missed training regularly due to the time it took to commute. Alan Buckley
Alan Buckley
Alan Peter Buckley is an English football manager. He was manager of League Two side Grimsby Town until his dismissal in September 2008...
attempted to offload Butler to Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
on transfer deadline day, which was only two months after signing a two year deal at Blundell Park
Blundell Park
Blundell Park is a football ground in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England and home to Grimsby Town Football Club. The stadium was built in 1898, but only one of the original stands remain. The current capacity of the ground is 9546, though with the introduction of all seating in the late...
, but the player rejected Hereford's contract offer. In an attempt to amend relations with Grimsby, Butler returned to regular training and won back his place in the side next to Danny North
Danny North
Daniel Jamie "Danny" North is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Irish club Sligo Rovers.North started his professional career with home town club Grimsby Town in 2004...
and helped The Mariners climb from 19th in League Two, to 10th. Despite Butler's renewed attempts to salvage his Grimsby career, he reignited his travel problems, and this eventually saw the player drop out of contention at the club. He played his last game for the club in the Carling Cup fixture with Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
and after that he was shelved by Buckley who dropped him to the reserves, which is where he remained for the rest of his time at Grimsby before he was eventually released in October 2008 by the club's new manager Mike Newell
Mike Newell (footballer)
Michael Colin "Mike" Newell is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player he notably was a member of the Blackburn Rovers team which won the Premier League in 1995, as well also playing for Crewe Alexandra, Wigan Athletic, Luton Town, Leicester City, Everton,...
.
Burton Albion
In February 2009, he was announced as Roy McFarlandRoy McFarland
Roy Leslie McFarland is an English football manager who was also a player, notably at Derby County where he played 434 league games helping him to earn 28 caps for England.-Playing career:...
's first signing at Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
when he signed a contract until May 2009, he was released at the end of the season.
Worcester City
Upon his release he signed for Worcester CityWorcester City F.C.
Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club are currently members of the Conference North and play at St George's Lane.-History:...
in July 2009.
It was said that Butler would be heading towards management, however nothing has arisen.
Cambridge United
- Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
runner up: 1998-991998-99 in English football-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
Reading
- Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
runner up: 2001-022001-02 in English footballThe 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the...
Walsall
- Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
runner up: 1994–951994-95 in English football-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw... - Coca Cola League Two Champions: 2006–20072006-07 in English footballThe 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...