Butterfield pleased to be a Grecian
Exeter City’s latest signing Danny Butterfield expressed his pleasure at joining the Grecians, and said that he can’t wait to get out on the pitch.
The right-back is unlikely to be available for immediate selection while he works up to fitness, following his short-term involvement with Carlisle United.
And he has been enamoured by the first-impressions that the club has made on him, and in particular because they strike a chord with the type of character that he is too.
“I got a call from Tis last Saturday hoping to meet me on Sunday, which we did,” said Butterfield. “We had a quick a chat and obviously he liked what he heard from me, and likewise I liked his philosophy on football. So it was a no-brainer for me to come here and sign.
“Tis likes his teams to play football; he likes the game played in the right way. His work ethic was important too – he wants the lads to put demands on each other’s standards every day, and that’s something that I put on myself anyway.
“A big part is that Tis has been here for a number of years. It’s a very stable club and a stable working environment under Tis. On my first impressions, I’m very excited to work here.”
With the average squad age still being very young, Butterfield is keen that he will be able to pass on some of his knowledge to the more junior ranks in the City team.
But he also expressed a desire to nail down a regular berth and contribute to a successful season for the Grecians.
“My experience means that I’ll be able to help some of the younger lads,” continued Danny. “But most important is for me to be playing regularly for the team and contributing to three points on a Saturday afternoon.
“At this point in my career, it’s important for me to be playing football regularly. I know that there are already good players here and certainly the lads that have been playing at right-back so far have done a good job – so there will still be competition for places.
“We’ve got a good group of experienced players with a mix of youngsters. I believe that the experience of the back four is key to a promotion push and I’m sure there’ll be younger lads pushing to get into the team.
“But if I get fit and contribute, I’m sure I can play a big part this season. It might be a week or two for me to get up to speed – but I’ll be chomping at the bit to play.”
Primarily a right-back, Butterfield has gained a reputation in his career for being very adept in a number of positions including in the midfield. And during his final year with Crystal Palace, when the Eagles had just entered administration, he was used as an emergency striker on a few occasions – and shot to fame by scoring a quite incredible hat-trick against Wolves in the FA Cup!
Having scored just once in the previous five seasons, Butterfield netted a ‘perfect hat-trick’ (left-foot, right-foot and a header) when deployed up top in the cup replay – but he insists he’ll be concentrating on his defensive duties and letting the forwards do their jobs for Exeter.
“That was a crazy night!” said Butterfield, with a smile. “But I’m sure the strikers at the club at the minute won’t want to be surrendering their places to me!”