Andy Butler

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 (age 41)
Place of birth	Doncaster, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Scunthorpe United (manager)
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)
2019–2020	Scunthorpe United	18	(0)
2020–2021	Doncaster Rovers	20	(0)
2021	Boston United	0	(0)
2022–2023	Farsley Celtic	39	(2)
2023–2024	Scunthorpe United	0	(0)
Total		634	(50)
Managerial career
2020–2022	Doncaster Rovers Belles
2021	Doncaster Rovers (caretaker)
2024–	Scunthorpe United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:01, 3 May 2024 (UTC)

Andrew Peter Butler (born 4 November 1983) is an English football coach and former player who is first team manager at National League North side Scunthorpe United.

Born in Doncaster, Butler was a defender in a playing career that lasted from 2002 until 2021. He played for Scunthorpe United, Grimsby Town, Huddersfield Town, Blackpool, Sheffield United, Walsall, Doncaster Rovers, Boston United and Farsley Celtic. Butler is also a qualified referee, ^[2] and has had two interim spells as Doncaster Rovers manager.

Playing 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] [ failed verification ]} 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.^{[ citation needed ]} 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 however this was on greatly reduced terms by then manager Grant McCann. ^[22]

Later career

He decided to make a return to Scunthorpe United. ^[23]

On 11 September 2020 he was signed by Rovers on a contract until January 2021. ^[24] On 1 March 2021, Butler was placed in charge of Doncaster following the departure of Darren Moore until the end of the season. ^[25] Butler returned to the Belles dugout after his short managerial tenure with Doncaster Rovers concluded.

In July 2021, Butler dropped into non-league for the first time when he signed a contract for National League North side Boston United ^[26] before leaving the club after just two months. ^[27]

In July 2022, Butler joined National League North club Farsley Celtic. ^[28]

Coaching career

On 16 January 2020, Butler was appointed manager of women's team Doncaster Rovers Belles. ^[29] This was a role held by Butler until September 2022 when he resigned in order for a full-time role at Scunthorpe United. ^[30]

Several months after signing for Boston, Butler was appointed as a first team coach at Peterborough United with Boston claiming this move was a breach of contract. ^[27]

Peterborough announced on 29 December 2021 that Butler had left his coaching role and was back with Doncaster Rovers assisting their first team. ^[31]

On 5 October 2022, Butler was appointed as Youh Development Phase Coach at former club Scunthorpe United. ^[32]

On 3 May 2024, Butler was appointed manager of Scunthorpe United, promoted from his previous role of first-team coach. ^[33] An unbeaten start to his time in charge of the club saw him named the National League North Manager of the Month for August 2024. ^[34]

Career statistics

As of 6 February 2021

Club statistics

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Scunthorpe United	2003–04 [35]	Third Division	34	2	4	0	1	0	3 [a]	0	42	2
	2004–05 [36]	League Two	37	10	3	0	1	0	0	0	41	10
	2005–06 [37]	League One	16	1	3	0	1	0	2 [a]	0	22	1
	2006–07 [38]	League One	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	0
	2007–08 [39]	Championship	36	2	0	0	1	0	—		37	2
	Total		134	15	10	0	4	0	5	0	153	15
Grimsby Town (loan)	2006–07 [38]	League Two	4	0	0	0	0	0	1 [a]	0	5	0
Huddersfield Town	2008–09 [40]	League One	42	4	1	0	1	0	1 [a]	0	45	4
	2009–10 [41]	League One	11	0	0	0	1	0	1 [a]	0	13	0
	Total		53	4	1	0	2	0	2	0	58	4
Blackpool (loan)	2009–10 [41]	Championship	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
Walsall	2010–11 [42]	League One	31	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	32	4
	2011–12 [43]	League One	42	5	3	0	1	0	2 [a]	0	48	5
	2012–13 [44]	League One	41	3	2	0	2	0	1 [a]	0	46	3
	2013–14 [45]	League One	45	2	2	0	2	0	1 [a]	0	50	2
	Total		159	14	8	0	5	0	4	0	176	14
Sheffield United	2014–15 [46]	League One	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	1
Walsall (loan)	2014–15 [46]	League One	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
Doncaster Rovers	2014–15 [46] [b]	League One	9	1	3	0	0	0	1 [a]	0	13	1
		League One	24	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	25	2
	2015–16 [47]	League One	40	4	3	0	2	0	2 [a]	0	47	4
	2016–17 [48]	League Two	44	3	1	0	1	0	0	0	46	3
	2017–18 [49]	League One	36	4	3	0	2	0	2 [c]	0	43	4
	2018–19 [50]	League One	40	1	4	1	1	0	3 [d]	1 [e]	48	3
Scunthorpe United	2019–20 [51]	League Two	18	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	21	0
Doncaster Rovers	2020–21 [52]	League One	20	0	2	0	0	0	1 [d]	0	23	0
	Total		213	15	17	1	6	0	9	1	255	17
Career total			595	48	37	1	19	1	22	1	673	51

Managerial statistics

As of match played 26 December 2024

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	From	To	Record
			P	W	D	L	Win %
Doncaster Rovers (caretaker)	1 March 2021	17 May 2021	18	4	3	11	022.2
Scunthorpe United	3 May 2024	Present	27	12	9	6	044.4
Total			45	16	12	17	035.6

Honours

As a player

Scunthorpe United

• Football League One: 2006–07
• Football League Two runner-up: 2004–05 ^[53]

Doncaster Rovers

• EFL League Two third-place promotion: 2016–17 ^[54]

Individual

• Scunthorpe United Player of the Year: 2004–05 ^[55]
• Walsall Player of the Year: 2010–11 ^[56]

As a manager

Individual

• National League North Manager of the Month: August 2024 ^[34]

Notes

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. Appearances in EFL Trophy
4. 1 Appearance in EFL Trophy and 2 in League One Play-offs
5. Goal in League One Play-offs

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. "Butler returns". Doncaster Rovers F.C. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
25. "Butler appointed first team manager until the end of the season". doncasterroversfc.co.uk. 1 March 2021.
26. "New Boston United signing Andy Butler says it was the 'right time' to leave Doncaster Rovers". Lincolnshire World. 10 July 2021.
27. "Boston unhappy with 'contract breach'". BBC Sport.
28. "Andy Butler Signs for Farsley". farsleyceltic.com. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
29. "Butler appointed Belles manager".
30. Jones, Steve (20 September 2022). "Doncaster Rovers Belles boss Andy Butler quits for new role". Doncaster Free Press. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
31. "Ex-Boston United defender Andy Butler leaves coaching role at Peterborough United".
32. "Andy Butler returns, with Iron academy restructured". scunthorpe-united.co.uk. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
33. "Andy Butler named new First Team Manager". www.scunthorpe-united.co.uk. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
34. "Bossing It! Meet August's Managers Of The Month". www.thenationallleague.org.uk. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
35. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
36. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
37. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
38. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
39. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
40. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
41. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
42. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
43. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
44. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
45. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
46. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
47. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
48. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
49. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
50. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
51. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
52. "Games played by Andy Butler in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
53. "Iron memories: Mark Jackson". Scunthorpe United FC. 14 April 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
54. Garry, Tom (6 May 2017). "Hartlepool United 2–1 Doncaster Rovers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
55. "Player of the season awards". Scunthorpe United FC. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
56. "Andy Butler is aiming to keep boss in his job". Express & Star. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2023.

External links

• Andy Butler player profile at htafc.com
• Andy Butler player profile at scunthorpe-united.co.uk
• Andy Butler at Soccerbase