Mark Rutherford (footballer) explained

Mark Rutherford
Fullname:Mark Robin Rutherford
Birth Date:1972 3, df=y[1]
Birth Place:Birmingham, England
Height:1.8m (05.9feet)
Position:Midfielder
Years1:1989–1991
Clubs1:Birmingham City
Caps1:5
Goals1:0
Years2:1991–1993
Clubs2:Shelbourne
Caps2:88
Goals2:10
Years3:1993–1994
Clubs3:Shrewsbury Town
Caps3:14
Goals3:0
Years4:1994–1998
Clubs4:Shelbourne
Caps4:106
Goals4:5
Years5:1998–1999
Clubs5:Shrewsbury Town
Caps5:3
Goals5:0
Years6:1999–2001
Clubs6:Newry Town
Caps6:68
Goals6:12
Years7:2001–2003
Clubs7:Bohemians
Caps7:74
Goals7:11
Years8:2004–2005
Clubs8:Shamrock Rovers
Caps8:62
Goals8:3
Years9:2006
Clubs9:St. Patrick's Athletic
Caps9:25
Goals9:1
Years10:2007
Clubs10:Longford Town
Caps10:25
Goals10:0
Years11:2008
Clubs11:Shelbourne
Caps11:27
Goals11:4
Totalcaps:474
Totalgoals:41
Nationalteam1:England U18
Nationalyears2:2000
Nationalteam2:Irish League representative team
Nationalcaps2:1
Nationalgoals2:1

Mark Rutherford (born 25 March 1972) is an English former footballer.

Career

Rutherford was once on the England under-18 squad alongside Chris Sutton, Steve McManaman and Andy Cole.

Rutherford scored the winning goal on his League of Ireland debut for Shels on 4 October 1991 at Tolka Park.

He is one of the select group of players to have played for all of Dublin's Big 4 clubs – Shelbourne, Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers, St. Patrick's Athletic. His previous clubs include Shrewsbury Town, Birmingham City F.C., Newry Town and Longford Town.

Rutherford's successful career includes 3 League of Ireland championships, 4 FAI Cups and 1 English Third Division championship. He was also an FAI Cup runner up on 5 occasions.

Rutherford scored three goals for Shelbourne in European competition. He netted against SK Brann in a 1996-97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup tie,[2] before scoring against Kilmarnock in the following season's competition and then against Glasgow Rangers in the 1998-99 UEFA Cup.[3]

With Shamrock Rovers, Rutherford made a total of 69 appearances scoring 3 goals in the 2004 and 2005 seasons before moving on to his fourth Dublin club in 2006 by joining St Patrick's Athletic.[4] Rutherford spent the 2007 season with Longford Town[5] in a season where the midlands club suffered relegation from the Premier Division and lost 1–0 in that season's FAI Cup final to Cork City at the RDS Arena.[6]

Rutherford departed Longford at the end of the 2007 season to rejoin former club Shelbourne on 31 January 2008 marking his third spell with the Tolka Park club.[7] In the 2008 First Division season Rutherford made 29 league and cup appearances for Shels and scored 4 goals. His last goal in the League of Ireland was the winner at Athlone on 11 October. He finished a First Division runner-up that season as Shelbourne narrowly missed out on the title in the dying seconds of the season and Rutherford was voted the Shelbourne Supporters Development Group's (SSDG) Player of the Year for the 2008 season at the age of 36. Despite his impressive return to Shelbourne, Rutherford left the club at the end of the season and joined Leinster Senior League side Dublin Bus in 2009.

Honours

League of Ireland Premier Division

3

FAI Cup

4

Football League Third Division

1

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Player profiles: Mark Rutherford . Shelbourne F.C. . https://web.archive.org/web/20110727012832/http://www.shelbournefc.com/players.php?playerid=158 . 27 July 2011.
  2. News: Shelbourne bow out as Brann hold their ground . Gerry . Thornley . 23 August 1996 . 17 . . 0791-5144 . Dublin . subscription.
  3. Web site: Ecstasy and agony for Shels . David . Anderson . Irish Examiner . 23 July 1998 . 21 May 2014 . https://archive.today/20120707040403/http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/1998/07/23/phead.htm . 7 July 2012.
  4. Web site: Trio sign for Saints . St Patrick's Athletic F.C. . 23 December 2005 . 30 September 2023.
  5. Web site: Further signings . Longford Town F.C. . 1 March 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071118182454/http://www.ltfc.ie/news/article/?id=22b3e1f5-1c9f-4271-89e8-635e93c697d6 . 18 November 2007.
  6. News: Cork City 1–0 Longford Town . RTÉ Sport . 2 December 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071204073827/https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2007/1202/faicup.html . 4 December 2007.
  7. Web site: Mark Rutherford returns . Shelbourne F.C. . 31 January 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110727012820/http://www.shelbournefc.com/news.php?id=817 . 27 July 2011.