Martin Butler

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For the English composer and Professor of Music, see Martin Butler (composer)

Martin Butler
Personal information
Full name	Martin Neil Butler
Date of birth	15 September 1974 (1974-09-15) (age 33)
Place of birth	Dudley, West Midlands, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Grimsby Town
Number	23
Youth clubs
	Walsall
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1993–1997 1997–2000 2000–2003 2003–2006 2006–2008 2007 2008–	Walsall Cambridge United Reading Rotherham United Walsall →Grimsby Town (loan) Grimsby Town	074 0(8) 104 (41) 103 (32) 097 (28) 044 (11) 008 0(1) 0013 0(5)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:00, 17 April 2008 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Martin Neil Butler (born 15 September 1974 in Dudley, West Midlands) is an English football striker currently playing for Grimsby Town.

Butler spent most of his youth in Bridgnorth, Shropshire,^{[citation needed]} attending Castlefields Primary School^{[citation needed]} and Oldbury Wells School.^{[citation needed]}

Butler started his career at Walsall, where he rose through the youth ranks. Following rave reviews,^{[citation needed]} he made his senior debut in the 1993-94 season. However, his career at Walsall faltered, and he was allowed to join Cambridge United for £22,500 in the summer of 1997.

A prolific spell at the Abbey Stadium prompted Reading to pay £750,000 for his services in February 2000, where he continued his fine goal-scoring form - including a goal in the 2000-01 Football League Second Division Playoff Final in May 2001, although Reading went on to lose the match 3-2 to Butler's old team Walsall.

On 6 November 2001, Butler was stretchered off during Reading's 2-0 win over Wrexham, suffering serious damage to his ankle. He broke his ankle and fibula, and suffered ligament damage competing for a ball on the touchline after his foot stuck in the ground. He didn't play again until April 2002, but his goals that season still helped Reading to get promoted to the First Division in second place.

After his injury, Butler couldn't recapture the form for Reading that he'd shown before, and after floating in and out of the first team, he was sold to Rotherham United in a £150,000 deal in August 2003, and then moved back to Walsall three seasons later on a free transfer, signing a two-year deal on 1 July 2006.

In October 2007 Butler, whose contract with Walsall is due to end at the end of the 2007/08 season, signed a three-month loan deal at Football League Two side Grimsby Town. The move will last until January at which point Grimsby will have an option of signing him on a permanent deal^[1]. He made his debut for Grimsby on 20 October against Wycombe Wanderers.

[edit] Grimsby Town

After he signed for Grimsby on loan till January he signed for Grimsby.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Martin Butler profile at saddlers.co.uk
• Martin Butler career stats at Soccerbase

v • d • e Grimsby Town F.C. – current squad 1 Barnes • 2 Clarke • 3 Newey • 4 Hunt • 5 Bennett • 6 Fenton • 7 Till • 8 Bolland • 9 North • 10 Toner • 11 Boshell • 13 Montgomery • 17 Hegarty • 18 Bore • 19 Jones • 20 Taylor • 21 Jarman • 23 Butler • Manager: Buckley

Persondata
NAME	Butler, Martin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Footballer
DATE OF BIRTH	15 September 1974
PLACE OF BIRTH	Dudley
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH