John Sutton (footballer)
Encyclopedia
John William Michael Sutton (born 26 December 1983) is an English
footballer, currently playing for Heart of Midlothian
in the Scottish Premier League
. He is the younger brother of former Norwich City
, Blackburn Rovers and Celtic
striker Chris Sutton
, and son of former Norwich
, Chester
and Carlisle United
player Mike Sutton
.
in 2002, and had loan spells with Carlisle United
(where he scored his first career goal against Cambridge United) and Swindon Town
. In 2003, Sutton joined Scottish Football League
club Raith Rovers
. He made a quick impression at Raith, scoring 13 goals in 20 appearances for the Scottish 1st Division club, which alerted the attention of English Championship
club Millwall
, who signed him for £60,000, in January 2004. He failed to make an impression at Millwall, playing just 4 league matches. He did however contribute to Millwall's run to the 2004 FA Cup Final, coming on as a substitute against Tranmere Rovers in their quarter final replay. He returned to Scotland
on loan with Dundee
. Once again, he was impressive in Scotland, scoring 8 goals in 20 appearances.
, and helped them win promotion to the Scottish Premier League
in his first season. Manager Gus MacPherson
confirmed Sutton would be leaving St. Mirren in the summer of 2007. On 28 June, he signed for Wycombe Wanderers
.
on a three-year contract. He scored on his debut against Dundee United
on 23 August and followed it up with a 79th minute winner against Hibernian
a week later. Sutton continued his impressive start to his Motherwell career with a consolation goal against Celtic, an equaliser against his former club St. Mirren and the winner against Falkirk
, bringing his total to an impressive five goals in his first six matches. On 2 February 2009, Sutton scored a brace in Motherwell's 3–0 Scottish Cup
victory over Inverurie Loco Works.
Motherwell qualified for the 2009–10 Europa League through the FIFA Fair Play Award
and were drawn against Welsh
club Llanelli
in the first-qualifying round. In the first-leg in Scotland, Llanelli shocked The Steelmen 1–0, but Sutton scored twice in the return leg as Motherwell won 3–0 to progress through to the next round, where they were drawn Albania
n side Flamurtari Vlorë
. In the first-leg in Albania, Sutton scored from the penalty spot early in the match, but the referee ordered a retake, which he missed. There did not seem to be any infringement before the kick was taken and manager Jim Gannon
blasted the decision as Flamatouri won 1–0. Sutton's penalty miss did not matter at all, as Well blew the Albanians away in the second leg at Fir Park, winning 8–1, although Sutton did not score in this match either, nor did he score in either leg of the third qualifying round tie with Steaua Bucureşti, as Motherwell lost 3–0 in Romania and 3–1 at home to go out 6–1 on aggregate. Sutton netted a brace in the historic 6–6 draw
with Hibernian
on 5 May 2010. He finished the 2009–10 season with a total of 14 goals in 38 appearances.
On 27 February 2011, Sutton scored twice as Motherwell shocked Celtic
2–0 at Fir Park
, taking his goals for the 2010–11 season to 11 in all competitions.
On the 16th of April, 2011, Sutton scored a screaming half volley from outside the box in the Scottish Cup Semi-Final against St Johnstone
.
, having scored 3 goals at Tynecastle in the 2010/11 season, in which he finished Motherwell's top scorer on 17 goals. Making his debut against Rangers
at Ibrox
on July the 23rd. He scored his first 2 goals for Hearts in a 3-0 victory over Aberdeen in September 2011.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer, currently playing for Heart of Midlothian
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
in the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
. He is the younger brother of former Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, Blackburn Rovers and Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
striker Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton
Christopher Roy "Chris" Sutton is an English football manager and former player.In his career, Sutton played for Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Celtic, Birmingham City and Aston Villa. Sutton scored over 150 career goals in over 400 league appearances spanning 16 years in the English...
, and son of former Norwich
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, Chester
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
and Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
player Mike Sutton
Mike Sutton (footballer)
Mike Sutton is a former English professional footballer. He played in The Football League for three clubs. Two of his sons, Chris and John, have also played professionally.-Playing career:...
.
Early career
Sutton was a promising youth cricketer, representing Norfolk at various age levels. He was a modest batsman and useful off-spinner of moderate pace. He started his football career as a trainee with Tottenham HotspurTottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
in 2002, and had loan spells with Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
(where he scored his first career goal against Cambridge United) and Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
. In 2003, Sutton joined Scottish Football League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
club Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers F.C.
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Kirkcaldy, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Football League, currently playing in the First Division, having secured promotion from the Second Division as champions in 2009. Rovers have won one national trophy, the...
. He made a quick impression at Raith, scoring 13 goals in 20 appearances for the Scottish 1st Division club, which alerted the attention of English Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
club Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
, who signed him for £60,000, in January 2004. He failed to make an impression at Millwall, playing just 4 league matches. He did however contribute to Millwall's run to the 2004 FA Cup Final, coming on as a substitute against Tranmere Rovers in their quarter final replay. He returned to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
on loan with Dundee
Dundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
. Once again, he was impressive in Scotland, scoring 8 goals in 20 appearances.
St Mirren
After being released by Millwall in 2005, he joined Scottish First Division club St. MirrenSt. Mirren F.C.
St Mirren Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Paisley, Renfrewshire who play in the Scottish Premier League, having been promoted from the First Division in 2005–06.St...
, and helped them win promotion to the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
in his first season. Manager Gus MacPherson
Gus MacPherson
Angus Ian MacPherson is a Scottish former football player and manager. MacPherson played for Kilmarnock for over a decade, making over 350 league appearances. After retiring as a player in 2003, he became manager of St. Mirren, a position he held until May 2010. MacPherson took St...
confirmed Sutton would be leaving St. Mirren in the summer of 2007. On 28 June, he signed for Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
.
Motherwell
On 19 August 2008, Sutton's Wycombe contract was cancelled by mutual consent. He then signed for Scottish Premier League club MotherwellMotherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
on a three-year contract. He scored on his debut against Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
on 23 August and followed it up with a 79th minute winner against Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
a week later. Sutton continued his impressive start to his Motherwell career with a consolation goal against Celtic, an equaliser against his former club St. Mirren and the winner against Falkirk
Falkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
, bringing his total to an impressive five goals in his first six matches. On 2 February 2009, Sutton scored a brace in Motherwell's 3–0 Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
victory over Inverurie Loco Works.
Motherwell qualified for the 2009–10 Europa League through the FIFA Fair Play Award
FIFA Fair Play Award
The FIFA Fair Play Award is a FIFA recognition of good or sporting behaviour or other actions by people or bodies involved in :association football around the world. First awarded in 1987, it has been presented to individuals , teams, fans, spectators, football associations/federations and even...
and were drawn against Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
club Llanelli
Llanelli A.F.C.
Llanelli Association Football Club is a Welsh semi-professional football club that plays in the Welsh Premier League for the 2010–11 season. The team has been based at Stebonheath Park since 1920, and as of 2009 is managed by Andy Legg....
in the first-qualifying round. In the first-leg in Scotland, Llanelli shocked The Steelmen 1–0, but Sutton scored twice in the return leg as Motherwell won 3–0 to progress through to the next round, where they were drawn Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n side Flamurtari Vlorë
KS Flamurtari Vlorë
Klubi Sportiv Flamurtari Vlorë or KS Flamurtari Vlorë is an Albanian football club based in Vlorë, Albania. It plays in the Albanian Superliga, the top division in Albanian football. Their home ground is Stadiumi Flamurtari....
. In the first-leg in Albania, Sutton scored from the penalty spot early in the match, but the referee ordered a retake, which he missed. There did not seem to be any infringement before the kick was taken and manager Jim Gannon
Jim Gannon
James Paul "Jim" Gannon is a former footballer and football manager, who is now Director of football and manager of Conference National team Stockport County...
blasted the decision as Flamatouri won 1–0. Sutton's penalty miss did not matter at all, as Well blew the Albanians away in the second leg at Fir Park, winning 8–1, although Sutton did not score in this match either, nor did he score in either leg of the third qualifying round tie with Steaua Bucureşti, as Motherwell lost 3–0 in Romania and 3–1 at home to go out 6–1 on aggregate. Sutton netted a brace in the historic 6–6 draw
Motherwell v Hibernian (5 May 2010)
-Post-match reaction:"I was quite calm throughout. I was very pleased with the response from the players when they went behind. I said to them that the worst thing in any sport is a losing lead...
with Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
on 5 May 2010. He finished the 2009–10 season with a total of 14 goals in 38 appearances.
On 27 February 2011, Sutton scored twice as Motherwell shocked Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
2–0 at Fir Park
Fir Park
Fir Park Stadium is a football stadium situated in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Premier League club Motherwell.- History :...
, taking his goals for the 2010–11 season to 11 in all competitions.
On the 16th of April, 2011, Sutton scored a screaming half volley from outside the box in the Scottish Cup Semi-Final against St Johnstone
St Johnstone F.C.
St. Johnstone F.C. is a professional football club based in Perth, Scotland. Although it is officially recorded as being formed in 1884, the club did not play its first game until February 1885. The club's home since 1989 has been McDiarmid Park....
.
Hearts
On the 25th May 2011, Sutton signed for HeartsHeart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
, having scored 3 goals at Tynecastle in the 2010/11 season, in which he finished Motherwell's top scorer on 17 goals. Making his debut against Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
at Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
on July the 23rd. He scored his first 2 goals for Hearts in a 3-0 victory over Aberdeen in September 2011.
External links
- John Sutton profile at Motherwell FC official website
- Career information at ex-canaries.co.uk