Paul Rutherford
Personal information
Full name Paul Leslie Rutherford[1]
Date of birth (1987-07-10) 10 July 1987[2]
Place of birth Moreton, England
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Bala Town
Number 18
Youth career
Liverpool
2003–2005 Chester City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2009 Chester City 57 (1)
2009–2013 Barrow 164 (9)
2013–2016 Southport 98 (5)
2016–2021 Wrexham 186 (8)
2021– Bala Town 52 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 June 2023

Paul Leslie Rutherford (born 10 July 1987) is an English footballer who plays as a winger for Cymru Premier club Bala Town.

Career

Born in Moreton, Wirral, he was brought up through the ranks in Liverpool's academy with his brother John before joining Chester City.

In 2005, he signed his first professional contract after impressing in Chester City's Youth Team.

He made his First Team début for Chester City against Cambridge United in the Football League Trophy in 2005 and over the past few years has been involved in first–team duties. He scored his first league goal in the 2–1 win over Darlington on 22 March 2008.

Rutherford was part of the Barrow side who won the 2009-10 FA Trophy at Wembley against Stevenage Borough 2–1.[3]

On 25 June 2013, Rutherford signed for Southport.[4]

On 23 May 2016, Rutherford signed for Wrexham. He made his debut for the club on the opening day of the 2016–17 season, in a 0–0 draw with Dover Athletic,[5] scoring his first goal for the club in their following match with a 93rd minute winning goal during a 3–2 victory over Guiseley.[6] On 2 June 2021, it was announced that Rutherford would leave Wrexham after spending five years at the club.[7] He features prominently in the first two episodes of the documentary series Welcome to Wrexham, where he is shown getting a red card that is implied to cost the team the playoff spot and the reason for his dismissal;[8] despite the unfortunate circumstances, Rutherford maintains his support for both the club and the documentary, saying that the latter is "arguably one of the best things that's happened to [him]",[9] and that "it probably makes [his] career look better".[8]

On 25 June 2021, Rutherford signed for Bala Town.[10] He made his European debut in July 2021, as Bala lost 2-0 on aggregate to Larne in the Europa Conference League.[11]

In 2023, Rutherford returned to representing Wrexham in The Soccer Tournament.[12][8]

Career statistics

As of end of season 2021/22
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Chester City 2005–06[13] League Two 6000001070
2006–07[14] League Two 90001010110
2007–08[15] League Two 231101010261
2008–09[16] League Two 190100000250
Total571202030691
Barrow 2009–10[16] Conference National 38040—00420
2010–11[16] Conference National 42710—10447
2011–12[16] Conference National 40121—20442
2012–13[16] Conference National 44150—40531
Total1649121—7018310
Southport 2013–14[16] Conference National 18010—10200
2014–15[16] Conference National 40360—20483
2015–16[16] National League 40210—30442
Total98580—601125
Wrexham 2016–17[16] National League 39200—00392
2017–18[16] National League 43210—00443
2018–19[16] National League 44150—31521
2019–20[16] National League 33240—10382
2020–21[16] National League 27000—10280
Total1868100—512029
Bala Town 2021–22[16] Cymru Premier 28 3 3 1 2 1 2 0 32 5
Total528313424124159035

References

  1. ↑ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Mainstream Publishing. p. 363. ISBN 978-1-84596-474-0.
  2. 1 2 "Paul Rutherford". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  3. ↑ "Barrow 2-1 Stevenage (aet)". BBC. 8 May 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  4. ↑ "ALAN WRIGHT SIGNS JAMIE MILLIGAN AND PAUL RUTHERFORD". Southport FC. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  5. ↑ "Wrexham 0–0 Dover Athletic". BBC Sport. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "Guiseley 2–3". BBC Sport. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  7. ↑ "Wrexham AFC announce 2021 retained list". Wrexham AFC. 2 June 2021. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 Sutcliffe, Richard. "From play-offs to retail: What it's like to have left Wrexham just as they became a global sensation". The Athletic.
  9. ↑ "Wrexham AFC American Invasion Tour! THE BIG PREVIEW! Plus 'Hollywood' Paul Rutherford!" – via www.youtube.com.
  10. ↑ "Rutherford is a Lakesider!". Bala Town. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  11. ↑ "Bala Town vs. Larne - 8 July 2021 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  12. ↑ "Wrexham TST star warns that club's U.S. tour could become unsafe due to 'mad' American fans | Goal.com". www.goal.com. 20 June 2023.
  13. ↑ "Games played by Paul Rutherford in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  14. ↑ "Games played by Paul Rutherford in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  15. ↑ "Games played by Paul Rutherford in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "P. Rutherford". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
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