GLOVERS NEWS: The boss who helped save Yeovil Town from going out of business makes quiet return

BLINK and you may have missed the fact that during the past week a man who played a large role in saving Yeovil Town from going out of business more than 20 years ago has returned to the club.

Former Yeovil player and manager, Steve Rutter, has returned to the Glovers in a coaching role and looking to nurture up-and-coming talent from within the club’s academy.

He served as manager of the Glovers from 1991-93 and was part of a memorable FA Cup run which was so desperately needed by a club that was within a whisker of going under because of huge debts following the move from the famous sloping pitch of Huish to the new HQ of Huish Park in 1990.

It was during the 1992-93 season that he led Yeovil as player-manager to fourth in the GM Vauxhall Conference – the highest finish the Glovers had ever mustered in their history behind champions Wycombe Wanderers, runners-up Bromsgrove Rovers and third-placed Dagenham and Redbridge.

But it was the FA Cup run of that campaign which will be best remembered by supporters and it has been widely regarded as one of the key things which kept the club afloat in mounting financial crisis.

The run started with a 2-1 success at Crawley Town in the Fourth Qualifying Round with goals from Mickey Spencer and Paul Batty.

The Glovers were given a First Round tie away at Torquay United, who were then in the Football League, but Yeovil produced one of their impressive cup giant-killings and came away from Plainmoor with a 5-2 success thanks to goals from Paul Batty (three), Paul Wilson and Mickey Spencer.

The Second Round saw Yeovil draw 0-0 at Huish Park to old rivals Hereford United, also still then a Football League club, and it meant a replay trip to Edgar Street on December 16, 1992.

It was a night of high drama and classic cup action – spiced up by the fact that the eventual winners knew they would be facing Arsenal in a Third Round clash at home.

Rutter’s team emerged victorious 2-1 thanks to goals from Paul Sanderson and a last-gasp Neil Coates effort which – to this day – still feels as if it took him an eternity to hit the ball into the net.

The Third Round saw 8,612 cram into Huish Park and, unlike today where many of the Premier League teams field weakened line-ups in the earlier rounds of the competition, the mighty Arsenal fielded a full-strength team which saw Ian Wright net a hat-trick in a 3-1 success for the Gunners with Paul Batty scoring Yeovil’s consolation.

PHOTOS - TOP: Steve Rutter during his first spell at Yeovil Town in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

But that cup run – masterminded by Rutter – brought in the all-important funds to keep Yeovil fighting. Had it not been for that Neil Coates goal – who knows what the future may have held for Yeovil?

After he left Yeovil in November 1993 Rutter moved to a coaching role within the Football Association set-up – specifically looking at youth development.

Recent footballing roles have seen him abroad in Greece and Holland.

But he has now returned to South Somerset and back where he enjoyed some great moments with the Glovers.

A spokesman for the Glovers Trust fans’ group said: “I’m sure many supporters, old enough to remember, will have great memories of those FA Cup runs when Steve Rutter was at Yeovil Town first time around.

“We would like to welcome him back to Huish Park and hope he has a successful and productive time within the coaching team.”

News of Rutter’s return came out last Tuesday (January 31, 2017) during Yeovil Town’s Sky Bet League Two success over Plymouth Argyle at Huish Park.

It is understood he started work the following day at Huish Park, but little has been made of his return on the club’s official website.

Rutter first arrived at Yeovil Town when the club was still at the sloping pitch of Huish under manager Brian Hall during the 1986-87 season.

He was a quality centre-half and was a mainstay of the side that clinched the Vauxhall-Opel League championship in 1987-88 and with it promotion back to the Conference.

He made 55 appearances in all competitions that season which included an exciting FA Cup run to the Third Round where they enjoyed victories over Weymouth (never-to-be-forgotten day), Worcester City and Cambridge United before falling to Queens Park Rangers, of the then top flight First Division, 3-0 at Huish.

Rutter made a total of 247 appearances for the Glovers during his time at the club which covered eight seasons.

The man, who was a popular figure with the Yeovil supporters during his initial spell with the Glovers, has made a quiet return to the club without any noticeable publicity.

Yeovil Town manager Darren Way, speaking on the club’s website, said: “We have introduced Steve Rutter to the academy as head of coaching and believe he is a much-needed addition – bringing an experienced member of staff to the academy coaching set-up.”

YEOVIL Town coverage is sponsored on this website by the Glovers Trust.  The Yeovil Town Supporters’ Society Ltd – known as the Glovers Trust – is a democratic, not for profit organisation, committed to giving supporters a strong unified voice in the decision making process at Yeovil Town FC and strengthening the links between the club and the community that it serves.

Adult membership to join the Glovers Trust is just £10 per year, while it is just £1 per year for those aged Under-16; and £100 per year for a corporate membership.

For more details – go to the Glovers’ Trust website at http://www.glovers-trust.co.uk/ .

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