Rob Miles Looks At The Career Of Former Town Goalkeeper Lee Butler.

Lee Butler had a distinguished career between the posts for 11 different clubs including three stints with Halifax Town.

The burly goal-keeper started his career with non-league side Haworth Colliery in 1985 before moving to Lincoln City in June 1986 after their relegation from the Canon Third Division. He stayed for one season at Sincil Bank, making 30 appearances as The Imps finished bottom of the Fourth Division on goal difference. Despite his position at the lowest team in the Football League, his good performances earned Butler an astonishing move to Aston Villa who had just finished bottom of the First Division for a fee of £100,000. Butler would spend four years at Villa Park but he only made eight appearances and moved on loan to league rivals Hull City in March 1991. He made four appearances for the Tigers who finished bottom of the Second Division that year. Aston Villa were by now back in the First Division and Butler's first team chances were limited so in the summer of 1991 he moved to Second Division Barnsley for £165,000. This would be where he would have most success. In five years at Oakwell, Butler made 120 appearances but finished 1995-1996 on loan at Scunthorpe. He moved to Third Division Wigan on a free transfer that summer, and agonisingly Barnsley were promoted to the Premier League for the one and only time in their history the following year. Butler made 63 league appearances for Wigan in two years at the club, during which time they were promoted to the Nationwide League Second Division as Champions with Butler in goal.

His career seem to fritter away after this with more free transfers. Butler tried his luck in Scotland in the summer of 1998 when he signed for Dunfermline and made 35 appearances there in 1998-1999. Unfortunately The Pars finished bottom of the Scottish Premier League that year, six points adrift of safety and Butler made his first trip to the Shay that summer with Halifax in the Nationwide Third Division. Butler made 93 appearances for Halifax in just under three years at the club, helping the Shay survive relegation to the Conference by two points in 2000-2001. He left for Doncaster in January 2002 but made only 10 appearances for the Conference side before moving back to the Shay in the summer of 2002 after Halifax's relegation. Butler made 37 appearances in 2002-2003 as Halifax finished 8^th in their first season out of the Football League for four years but he was on the move again that summer, this time to Alfreton. He never played for The Reds however and he again moved back to the Shay in the summer of 2005 where he featured another three times. Lee Butler is now goal-keeping coach at Championship side Doncaster Rovers.

Rob Miles