Joe Rutherford

Joe Rutherford
Personal information
Date of birth (1914-09-20)20 September 1914
Place of birth Fatfield, England
Date of death 27 December 1994(1994-12-27) (aged 80)
Place of death Sutton Coldfield, England
Position Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Birtley Colliery
1936–1939 Southport 88 (0)
1939–1952 Aston Villa 148 (0)
Total 236 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Joe Rutherford (20 September 1920 – 27 December 1994) was a footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Southport and Aston Villa.

Born in Fatfield, County Durham, Rutherford played as a youth for Chester-le-Street Schools, Chester-le-Street Juniors, Fatfield Juniors, Chester Moor Temperance, Ferryhill, Blyth Spartans and Chester-le-Street, and had trials at West Ham United and Reading, before joining Birtley Colliery. He joined Southport in October 1936.

Rutherford joined Aston Villa in February 1939. Rutherford's career was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. In September 1939, he played in Villa's last pre-war game, a 1–0 defeat at Derby County. On 4th September the Government announced a ban on Sport to prevent crowds gathering. Villa's League match away to Wolves was one of over thirty mid-week League fixtures called-off. Villa Park found itself in an evacuation district designated under the British Government's civilian evacuation scheme. The Police Chief Constable of Birmingham, C.C.H Moriarty, intimated that he would not sanction football matches within the city of Birmingham. The Football League's Scheme for War-time football proposed to limit gates to 8,000 in evacuation areas. With their large overheads, the directors of Aston Villa and Sunderland announced their intention to close down. The manager and players were paid off whilst Villa Park was commandeered by the War Office. Villa's players quickly found war-time employment. Rutherford became a policeman. During the Second World War, he played in several games as a guest, for Margate, playing one game in 1939–40, Solihull Town, Nottingham Forest, Lincoln City and Mansfield Town, but these are not counted in official league records and tallies.

Rutherford played in 156 league and cup matches for Villa, retiring in 1951. After football he owned a transport company. His lorry fleet included operations out of Weeford Quarry near Sutton Coldfield.

References

  1. ↑ "Joe Rutherford". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  2. 1 2 Mårtensson, Jörn. "Rutherford, Joseph Henry Hamilton (Joe)". Aston Villa Player Database. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  3. ↑ Ban on Sport, Birmingham Evening Mail, 4 September 1939, p3
  4. ↑ No Competitive Football, Chronicle, 16 September 1939, p5
  5. ↑ No Football at Villa Park or St Andrews Yet, Evening Despatch, 25 September 1939, p6
  6. ↑ Swindon Advertiser, 10 November 1939, p8
  7. ↑ Big Names in Football that will not be seen in War-Time Liverpool Echo, 30 September 1939, p2
  8. ↑ "'He'd get you doing stepovers' The intriguing story of an unappreciated Aston Villa legend". 26 November 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  9. ↑ Strong Villa Team, Birmingham Evening Mail, 14 September 1939, p7
  10. ↑ Five who know that sinking feeling, Sports Argus, 3 March 1956, p5