Butcher could not resist Tottenham reunion at Kingfield

Oct 15 2012 By Matt Lewis

Calum Butcher Image 2

CALUM Butcher says he simply could not turn down the chance for a reunion with his old Tottenham Hotspur buddies Sam Cox and Kudus Oyenuga at Hayes and Yeading.

Butcher arrived at Kingfield last month and scored his first United goal in Saturday’s dramatic 2-1 FA Cup third qualifying round victory over Salisbury City.

The 21-year-old defender came through the ranks at Ipswich Town and Southend before signing for Premier League Spurs in the summer of 2007.

It was at White Hart Lane that he first met Oyenuga and Cox and the Essex-born stopper says the duo had a big part to play in his move to the Blue Square South.

He added: “Having them here had a big influence on me coming here. Sam is a brilliant player and so are Kudus and Josh. We were all together at Spurs and I’ve known Sam since I was about 14. He called me and told me of Hayes’ interest.

“I think with all of us together, we’ve got a great team spirit, and we want to do good things. I don’t think there are a lot of teams that play in the same way we do and that was another factor in me joining. Nas [Bashir, United boss] and Tristan [Lewis, assistant manager] have got a good philosophy.”

On his 18th birthday Butcher was named on the bench for Spurs in a UEFA Cup tie with Shakhtar Donetsk, however he failed to make the grade in north London.

Instead, he headed for Danish club FC Hjørring, and believes he can bring an extensive knowledge of the European football to United’s backline this season.

“I could have gone to places like Aldershot but I really wanted to try something new,” he said. “It was a life-changing experience for me and I really enjoyed it. It was a different style of play over there, European football tends to be a bit slower, but this is proper football to me. This is where I want to play.”

Traditionally a centre-back, Butcher has been deployed by Bashir at full-back, a position the talented defender insists he is comfortable playing in.

“Centre-half is my position,” he added. “I’ve been moved to right back at the moment but I think I can do a job there. Generally, centre-backs have to be well over six feet tall in this league and I think right-back might turn into my position. I enjoy the role and I like getting forward.”

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