Walter Couper Rutherford (14 January 1891 – 1 December 1944) was a Scottish footballer who played as an inside left.[2][3] He joined Kilmarnock from the junior leagues during World War I and quickly made an impact, scoring a hat-trick against Rangers,[4] playing one match on loan for Rangers a week later,[5] and being selected for the Scottish Football League XI in a fundraising match, all in 1917. However, he sustained a serious injury midway through the next season, with a benefit match being arranged for him against Celtic in April 1919 to provide an income, as he had been unable to work or play football during that time.[6][7] Rutherford did not play for Kilmarnock again but was able to make a comeback of sorts, firstly with non-league Alloa Athletic followed by Ayr United and then Johnstone, with a second, swansong spell there 18 months after his first ended.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Walter Couper Rutherford | ||
| Date of birth | 14 January 1891 | ||
| Place of birth | Hutchesontown, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 1 December 1944 (aged 53) | ||
| Place of death | Bridgeton, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Inside left | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| – | Maryhill | ||
| – | Yoker Athletic | ||
| 1916–1919 | Kilmarnock | 52 | (12) |
| 1917 | → Rangers (loan) | 1 | (1) |
| 1919–1920 | Alloa Athletic | ||
| 1920–1922 | Ayr United | 12 | (3) |
| 1922–1924 | Johnstone | 27 | (7) |
| 1926 | Johnstone | 15 | (2) |
| Total | 109 | (25) | |
| International career | |||
| 1917[1] | Scottish League (wartime) | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
References edit
- ^ Association Football. War Funds Match | The Army XI, 4; Scottish League, 3., The Glasgow Herald, 21 May 1917
- ^ (Kilmarnock player) Rutherford, Walter, FitbaStats
- ^ a b John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Kilmarnock in History: Our Shortest Game and the Toll of World War I, Kilmarnock FC, 29 May 2020
- ^ (Rangers player) Rutherford, ?, FitbaStats
- ^ E.A.MacBride’s War Diaries (Aug 1918-May 1919), The Celt Mag on Tumblr
- ^ Kilmarnock in History: Spanish Flu and Cup Glory, Kilmarnock FC, 8 June 2020
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