Yesterday’s blog recalled Dave “Jock” Rutherford, a former England amateur international who played for a great many Northern League clubs – and Durham Press – and who lives enthusiastically to tell the tales.
“Never afraid to put himself about a bit” Northern Conquest had perhaps euphemisticaly supposed in 2013, reckoning his number of clubs to be “about 15.”
But why did a chap born in Sunderland, long on North Tyneside, answer almost universally to Jock? The answer may lie with the remarkable gentleman on the fag card above, pictured when 20 might be had for a shilling.
“John Rutherford”, it says. but – like Dave – he was an Englishman, like Dave answered universally to Jock and, like Dave, played well into his 40s. They were quite a family.
Born in Percy Main, on the line to North Shields, John Rutherford was with Newcastle United in the glory days of the early twentieth century. An outside right, he won three league championship medals, appeared in five FA Cup finals – only once successfully – was capped 11 times by England and became known, not very originally, as the Newcastle Flyer.
In 1913, however, he had a dispute over wages – doubtless a familiar scenario at St James’ Park down the years – and joined Arsenal for £800, scoring twice on his debut. At Highbury he became known for his tenacity and for his superstitiousness, always insisting that he be last out of the tunnel.
War intervened. After it he returned for a second spell but in March 1923 joined Stoke City as player/manager. A few weeks later the Gunners threw him a retirement party, Jock realised how much he missed his mates, never went back to the Potteries and resumed his playing career.
After 232 games and 27 goals, his final first division appearance came whe he was 41 years and 159 days old, still Arsenal’s oldest-ever player. He joined Clapton Orient, made an FA Cup appearance for Tunbridge Wells, finally hung up his boots to run an off-licence in Neasden. He died in 1963, aged 78.
There were more chipped from the same block. Jock’s brother Sep made 121 appearances for Portsmouth and 13 for Blackburn Rovers while Bob, another brother, appeared once for Newcastle in 1905-06. Jock’s son, another John, made a single Arsenal appearance in 1925 in a 6-1 win over Bury.
Leaps and bounds, the family’s sporting prowess hurdled the generations. Greg Rutherford, the Newcastle Flyer’s great grandson, won Olympic long jump gold in London in 2012.
Whether he in turn answered to Jock is, sadly, not recorded.
*Yesterday’s blog also recorded the death of the Crook and District League, the last “local” league between Tyne and Tees. We recalled a few more but forgot, says Graham Lilley, the Durham and District which folded about 20 years ago. Truth to tell, plenty more went unrecorded.
Blog reader Mike Rayner notes that the North Riding Premier League ended the season with three clubs’ records expunged – Cleveland, Thirsk Falcons and Northallerton Reserves.
It worries Mike, too. “We do appear to be running out of teams and players at this level.”
*….and finally back to Z Cars, the theme music which over the years has welcomed Sunderland, Everton and Watford onto the field.
Distinguished journalist Ross Brewster, our man in Cumbria, recalls once interviewing Brian Blessed – he who made his name as pugnacious polliss Fancy Smith – for some reason in the actor’s garden shed.
Blessed wanted to know if Workington Reds also still ran out to the Z Cars theme, introduced when Ken Furphy – Stockton lad, Darlington hero – was manager in 1964.
Ken then moved to Watford. Could it have been he, and not Bill McGarry as widely is supposed, who brought Z Cars screeching to Vicarage Road?
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Grass Routes 