David Thomas Michael Prutton (born 12 September 1981) is an English former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

, who last played for

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...

. He currently works as lead presenter of the

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...

. He has previously played for

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...

Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...

and

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...

, as well as representing England at Under 21 level 25 times. He spent a three-month loan spell with

Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...

at the start of the 2012–13 season and a brief spell on loan at

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...

at the end of the 2013–14 season.

Playing career

Nottingham Forest

Prutton was born in Hull, and came through the

youth system, going on to make 155 appearances for the club where his career started. Having starred for Nottingham Forest and in the England under-21 squad the versatile midfielder was signed by

, then of the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

, on the final day of the

transfer window A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer win ...

for £2.5 million in 2003.

Southampton

Prutton is a versatile player, having played across the

midfield Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...

and at

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for Southampton, and despite being a very important player in the 2002–03 season missed out on the

FA Cup Final The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football ev ...

as he was

cup-tied In association football, a player who has appeared for a football club during a knockout cup but subsequently transfers to another club is ineligible to play for the new club in the remainder of that season's cup competition. Such a player is said ...

having played for Nottingham Forest against

West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancien ...

in the third round. Despite only being at Southampton for less than four months Prutton played 12 games for Southampton and impressed in

Gordon Strachan Gordon David Strachan ( born 9 February 1957) is a Scottish former football coach and player. He played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. He has since managed Cove ...

's squad. In the 2003–04 season Prutton featured heavily for Southampton, playing 30 games and scoring one goal against

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...

, on the last day of the season. The 2004–05 season was one to forget, despite scoring 2 goals (one against European champions

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

) and playing 28 games in all competitions. Following Southampton's home game with

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

on 26 February 2005, Prutton was charged by the FA on two counts for the events following his

red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or d ...

for a tackle on

Robert Pires Robert Emmanuel Pires (born 29 October 1973) is a French association football, football coach and former professional Football player, player. Pires played for French clubs FC Metz, Metz and Olympique de Marseille, Marseille prior to his time wi ...

. First was for his failure to leave the field of play promptly following his dismissal and his attempt to remonstrate with the

assistant referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other tit ...

, during which he pushed the

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

Alan Wiley Alan G. Wiley (born 27 May 1960) is a former English football referee in the FA Premier League, who is based in Burntwood, Staffordshire. Career Wiley first took up the whistle in 1981, then officiated in the West Midlands (Regional) League ...

, on at least one occasion. The second charge relates to his threatening words and/or behaviour towards a match official. Prutton was handed a 10-match ban and fined £6,000 after admitting the two charges of improper conduct. Prutton returned on the final day of the season for Southampton's game against

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

, which the side needed to win to stay in the

. Southampton lost the game 2–1 and the club were relegated to the

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...

. In 2005–06 the versatile midfielder's season was marred by a broken

metatarsal The metatarsal bones, or metatarsus, are a group of five long bones in the foot, located between the tarsal bones of the hind- and mid-foot and the phalanges of the toes. Lacking individual names, the metatarsal bones are numbered from the med ...

which he picked up in September against

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

. A lack of first team opportunities forced him to seek employment elsewhere and in January 2007 he left Southampton to return to

. In total he played 94 games for the Saints, scoring 5 goals. He was released by Southampton on 23 May 2007.

Return to Nottingham Forest

Narrowly beating the transfer deadline, Prutton re-joined his old club in January 2007 on loan until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent move if Forest were promoted. He had piqued interest from Championship clubs

and his home-town club,

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...

. On 14 April, Prutton scored his first Forest goal since returning to the club against

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

in a league match, heading in the first of Forest's four second-half goals to inspire a fightback that would win Forest the game 4–2, despite being 2–0 down after 50 minutes. He was sent-off in 90th minute of the League One play-off semi-final second leg match against

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...

on 18 May 2007, leaving Forest with 10-men for

extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...

Leeds United

Prutton joined

on trial during pre-season 2007 and officially joined the club on 7 August 2007. Prutton scored his first goal for Leeds against Swansea City on 22 September 2007 in a 2–0 victory as Leeds notched up their seventh consecutive victory. Prutton generally played in a right midfield role during

Dennis Wise Dennis Frank Wise (born 16 December 1966) is an English former professional football player and manager who played as a central midfielder. He is the president of Serie B side Como 1907. He is best known for having spent the majority of his c ...

's rule at the club. When

Gary McAllister Gary McAllister MBE (born 25 December 1964) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. McAllister played primarily as a midfielder in a career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell b ...

became manager, Prutton was moved to his natural central midfield role, and put in several man-of-the-match performances. He was one of Leeds' most consistent performers in the 2007–08 season, having started over 40 matches and winning several man of the match awards along the way. Leeds reached the playoff final that season but lost 1–0 to

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...

. Prutton became a cult hero amongst the Leeds fans, due to his humour in interviews and his Jesus-like appearance. Leeds retained the services of Prutton for the next season, with his contract lasting a further year. Following

Simon Grayson Simon Nicholas Grayson (born 16 December 1969) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Indian Super League club Bengaluru. As a player, he was a right back, but he was also utilised in m ...

's appointment as Leeds United manager, Prutton became somewhat of a peripheral figure in Leeds United's first team squads; despite starting in Grayson's first game on Boxing Day against

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...

, Prutton found chances hard to come by for the remainder of the season. Leeds lost to Millwall in the playoff semi-finals that season, with Prutton having a bit part role since Grayson took over, with his having to settle for a place as a substitute. With seven substitutes required for the 2009–10 season, Prutton made the bench regularly, and made a rare start for Leeds in the League game against

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic ...

. Prutton started for Leeds in the

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...

game against

Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete history ...

and provided an assist for Hogan Ephraim's goal. The match was to be Prutton's last start for Leeds, with him having to settle for a place on the bench until he departed the club.

Colchester United

On 26 January 2010, Prutton joined League One side

on a month-long loan deal, with a view to make the move permanent. The same day, Prutton made his debut for Colchester, coming off the bench against

Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...

and scoring a long-range effort. Prutton's loan was set to be made permanent after Colchester played against Prutton's employers, Leeds United. Prutton wasn't allowed to play in the game due to the terms of the loan deal. On 1 February, Prutton was released from his contract at Leeds United, and signed a six-month deal at

. Prutton was offered a new contract by Colchester manager

Aidy Boothroyd Adrian Neil Boothroyd (born 8 February 1971) is an English former footballer who is currently the manager of Indian Super League club Jamshedpur. At club level, he was manager of Watford from 2005 to 2008. During his time with Watford, he was r ...

in the close season; the deal remained on the table when John Ward took over following Boothroyd's departure to

, but Prutton rejected the deal.

Swindon Town

On 5 July 2010, he signed for

on a two-year deal, joining up with former Leeds teammates David Lucas and

Jonathan Douglas Jonathan Michael Douglas (born 22 November 1981) is an Irish professional footballer who last played for Ipswich Town and has also represented the Republic of Ireland at international level. Club career Blackburn Rovers Born in Monaghan, Dougl ...

. He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw with

on 21 August 2010. On 26 March Prutton scored his third goal for the robins, netting away to longtime leaders

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

. He left Swindon in 2011 to play for

Football League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

team

on a free transfer after Swindon were relegated to Football League Two.

Sheffield Wednesday

On 24 May 2011, Prutton signed for

on a two-year deal. He made his debut for the Owls in their first game of the 2011–12 campaign, against

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

at Hillsborough. He scored his first goal for the club in that game, a sensational volley from the edge of the 18-yard box in the 72nd minute. On 27 March 2014, Prutton joined

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

side

on loan until the end of the 2013–14 season, following which his career ended.

Career statistics

Honours

Sheffield Wednesday *

runner-up : 2011–12

References

External links

*
Article on BBC Sport website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prutton, David 1981 births Living people Footballers from Kingston upon Hull People educated at Hymers College English footballers England under-21 international footballers Association football midfielders Nottingham Forest F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Colchester United F.C. players Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players Scunthorpe United F.C. players Coventry City F.C. players Premier League players English Football League players Swindon Town F.C. players