John Butcher (born 27 May 1956,

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

) was a professional footballer who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

. He played in

The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for five clubs.

Playing career

Butcher began his career with Blackburn Rovers, with whom he turned professional in March 1976. He made more than 100 league appearances in six years at

Ewood Park Ewood Park () is a football stadium in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and the home of Blackburn Rovers F.C., founding members of the Football League and Premier League, who have played there since 1890. It is an all seater multi-sports facili ...

, the majority coming in seasons 1977–78 and 1978–79. He moved to

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...

in July 1982, although he was loaned out to Halifax Town three months later and then had a temporary spell with

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

from December 1983. After not playing for Oxford during the 1983–84 season, Butcher was allowed to join Chester City on a free transfer in August 1984. He made his debut on the opening day of the new season against

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 ...

and went on to play 36 first-team games during the season. The following campaign saw Butcher have spells out of the side after losing out to

David Kaye David Kaye may refer to: * David Kaye (voice actor) (born 1966), Canadian-American voice actor * David A. Kaye, actor who played Jesse Waingrow in the film ''3000 Miles to Graceland'' * David Kaye (footballer) (born 1959), English footballer * Dav ...

and Ray Cashley and he was allowed to return to

for another loan spell in October 1985. A month later he was back at Chester and missed just three of the final 29 games as the Blues were promoted from

Division Four The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...

. The summer of 1986 saw

Billy Stewart William Larry Stewart II (March 24, 1937 – January 17, 1970) was an American rhythm and blues singer and pianist who was popular during the 1960s. Biography Stewart was 12 years old when he began singing with his younger brothers Johnny, James ...

signed by Harry McNally and he was to largely be first choice ahead of Butcher in 1986–87, whose final appearance for the club was a 1–0 defeat to

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

on 4 May 1987. At the end of the season Butcher was released and he joined

GM Vauxhall Conference The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...

side

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...

, where he played for two years. He then spent time with

Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially kno ...

without making any Conference appearances. Butcher has since worked as a warehouse managerhttps://web.archive.org/web/20070502222103/http://www.themightyshakers.co.uk/oldsites/gordon/programmes/9900-programmes/pr-oxford-home.htm See 'A foot in both camps' section and has played amateur football for Chester-based side Upton AA. In November 1980, John fathered his first son John Carl Butcher. In April 1983 John had a second son Ryan Anthony Butcher.

Honours

Blackburn Rovers * Football League Division Three runners-up: 1979–80 (8 apps). Chester City *

Football League Division Four The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...

runners-up: 1985–86 (34 apps).

References

External links

Oxford United career detailsHalifax Town career details
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butcher, John 1956 births Living people Footballers from Newcastle upon Tyne English footballers Men's association football goalkeepers English Football League players National League (English football) players Blackburn Rovers F.C. players Oxford United F.C. players Halifax Town A.F.C. players Bury F.C. players Chester City F.C. players Altrincham F.C. players Macclesfield Town F.C. players