Carruthers was born in
Nottingham and began his career with
Aston Villa. He failed to break into the first team at
Villa Park and, after a loan at
Hull City where he scored six goals in 13 matches, he joined
Stoke City in July 1993. and then
Ilkeston Town (initially on loan) in 2006. He went on to become player-assistant manager at Ilkeston, before joining
Arnold Town in 2008, becoming joint manager alongside
Chris Freestone two games into the 2009–10 season. They both left the club in June 2012, and Carruthers subsequently signed for
Basford United as a player in 2012, becoming player-manager in 2013. He departed the club in March 2019.{{cite web ==Coaching career==