Ex-Cowplain School pupil gunning for beloved Portsmouth in the name of Accrington Stanley
Kenny Jackett’s side head to Accrington on Saturday on the back of 476 minutes without conceding, the club’s best run for almost a decade.
However, they will encounter a Stanley side consisting of one of their own – Matt Butcher.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe 23-year-old has been an ever-present in Accrington’s midfield this season since joining from Bournemouth in August.
Hailing from Denmead, he has started all 22 of the club’s fixtures, failing to complete 90 minutes just twice.
It has been an impressive beginning to life with John Coleman’s men for Butcher, whose progress with the Cherries had been hampered by two lengthy injury lay-offs.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAccrington obliged, signing him on a two-year deal and immediately backing him with the regular first-team football he craved.
Yet Butcher grew up a Pompey fan, once wearing the name of his hero and fellow left-footer Matt Taylor on his replica Blues shirt.
He was once handed a six-week trial at Fratton Park, in the same age group as Conor Chaplin, yet was rejected.
It would be Bournemouth where his football career began, joining at the age of 13 and then professionally at the end of five years at Cowplain School.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdButcher would progress into Eddie Howe’s first-team as an 18-year-old, appearing as a substitute in the Capital One Cup against Hartlepool in August 2015.
A second – and final – outing was handed to him with an FA Cup start in a 2-1 win at Birmingham in January 2016.
The former Wimbledon Park Tigers player also featured in a loan appearance for Gosport in February 2015, followed by spells at Woking, Yeovil and St Johnstone.
Now he’s an Accrington player – and will face Pompey on Saturday.
A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe News has launched a new subscription offer which gives you unlimited access to all of our Pompey coverage, starting at less than £1 a week.
You can subscribe here to get the latest news and transfer updates from Fratton Park - and to support our local team of expert Pompey writers.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.