Mark Rutherford (footballer)

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

Mark Rutherford
Personal information
Full name Mark Robin Rutherford[1]
Date of birth (1972-03-25) 25 March 1972 (age 51)[2]
Place of birth Birmingham, England[2]
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989–1991 Birmingham City 5 (0)
1991–1993 Shelbourne 88 (10)
1993–1994 Shrewsbury Town 14 (0)
1994–1998 Shelbourne 106 (5)
1998–1999 Shrewsbury Town 3 (0)
1999–2001 Newry Town 68 (12)
2001–2003 Bohemians 74 (11)
2004–2005 Shamrock Rovers 62 (3)
2006 St. Patrick's Athletic 25 (1)
2007 Longford Town 25 (0)
2008 Shelbourne 27 (4)
Total 474 (41)
International career
England U18
2000 Irish League representative team 1 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career edit

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,[3] before scoring against Kilmarnock in the following season's competition and then against Glasgow Rangers in the 1998-99 UEFA Cup.[4]

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.[5] Rutherford spent the 2007 season with Longford Town[6] 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.[7]

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.[8] 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 edit

League of Ireland Premier Division: 3

FAI Cup: 4

  • Shelbourne: 1993, 1996, 1997
  • Bohemians: 2001

Football League Third Division: 1

References edit

  1. ^ "Mark Rutherford". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Player profiles: Mark Rutherford". Shelbourne F.C. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011.
  3. ^ Thornley, Gerry (23 August 1996). "Shelbourne bow out as Brann hold their ground". The Irish Times. Dublin. p. 17. ISSN 0791-5144.
  4. ^ Anderson, David (23 July 1998). "Ecstasy and agony for Shels". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  5. ^ "Trio sign for Saints". St Patrick's Athletic F.C. 23 December 2005. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Further signings". Longford Town F.C. 1 March 2007. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007.
  7. ^ "Cork City 1–0 Longford Town". RTÉ Sport. 2 December 2007. Archived from the original on 4 December 2007.
  8. ^ "Mark Rutherford returns". Shelbourne F.C. 31 January 2008. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011.

External links edit