A centre back, he spent the majority of his 21 years playing career with Derry City, and set a club record of over 670 appearances in the League of Ireland.

Hutton began his career with Oxford United Stars in the Derry and District League, and later played for Coleraine.

He had trials with English clubs Tranmere Rovers and Port Vale, and played two summer tournament games for the "Valiants" in 1995, before returning to Derry.

By November 2006, Hutton had made his 300th appearance as team-captain after a 1–0 League of Ireland final-night win over Cork City in the Brandywell Stadium.

In May 2011, Hutton took over the management of League of Ireland First Division club Finn Harps, along with former Derry City teammate Felix Healy.

Hutton agreed to depart in September 2015 after suffering a 3–0 defeat to Cork City in the quarter-finals of the FAI Cup.