Chris Clarke (footballer)

Chris Clarke

Personal information
Full name	Christopher Edward Clarke[1]
Date of birth	18 December 1980[1]
Place of birth	Leeds, England
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2]
Playing position	Defender
Youth career
000?–1999	Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1999–2002	Halifax Town	51	(1)
2002–2004	Blackpool	46	(2)
2004	Cambridge United	1	(0)
2004	York City	5	(0)
2004–2005	Halifax Town	4	(0)
2005	→ Leigh RMI (loan)	4	(0)
2005–2006	Guiseley	21	(2)
2006–?	Bradford Park Avenue	?	(?)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:35, 12 June 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (goals)

Christopher Edward "Chris" Clarke (born 18 December 1980) is an English footballer who plays as a defender.

Career

Born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Clarke started his career with the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth system alongside his twin brother Matthew and after being released by the club the pair signed for Third Division outfit Halifax Town in July 1999.^[1][3][4] He left the club in February 2002 after signing for Second Division side Blackpool on a two-and-a-half-year contract with the option of an additional year for a fee of £120,000 plus a sell-on clause.^[5][6] Clarke made his debut in a 3–0 victory at Cambridge United on 26 February.^[7] He scored Blackpool's second goal with a header in the 2002 Football League Trophy Final at the Millennium Stadium, which the team went on to win 4–1 against Cambridge.^[8] He joined Cambridge of the Third Division on a free transfer after signing a contract until the end of the 2003–04 season on 25 March 2004.^[9]

After training with York City he signed for the newly-relegated Conference National side on a one-year contract on 16 July.^[10][11] After making five appearances for the club. He was allowed to leave the club on a free transfer on 22 October.^[12] He subsequently re-signed for former club Halifax, now in the Conference.^[13] He made his debut in a 3–1 defeat to Chester City in an FA Cup second round game on 4 December.^[14] Having made three appearances for Halifax,^[14] Clarke joined Conference rivals Leigh RMI on a one-month loan on 18 February 2005.^[15][16] He was described by manager Steve Bleasdale as a "key acquisition" and after making four appearances he returned to Halifax.^[14][17] Having made another three appearances for Halifax we was released at the end of the 2004–05 season.^[14][18]

He signed for Northern Premier League Premier Division side Guiseley during the summer.^[19] Clarke left the club early in the 2006–07 season to sign for Northern Premier League First Division side Bradford Park Avenue.^[20] He played for Park Avenue in their 3–0 defeat to Eastwood Town in the play-off semi-final in April 2007.^[21]

Career statistics

As of 24 October 2006.

Club	Season	League^[A]		FA Cup		League Cup		Other^[B]		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Halifax Town	1999–2000[1]	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2000–01[22]	26	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	28	1
	2001–02[7]	24	0	3	0	1	0	0	0	28	0
	Total	51	1	3	0	2	0	1	0	57	1
Blackpool	2001–02[7]	11	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	12	1
	2002–03[23]	17	1	3	0	0	0	1	0	21	1
	2003–04[24]	18	1	3	0	3	0	2	0	26	1
	Total	46	2	6	0	3	0	4	1	59	3
Cambridge United	2003–04[24]	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
York City	2004–05[25]	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Halifax Town	2004–05[14]	4	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	6	0
Leigh RMI (loan)	2004–05[14]	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Guiseley	2005–06[26]	14	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	14	2
	2006–07[27]	7	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	1
	Total	21	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	2
Career totals		132	5	10	0	5	0	6	1	153	6

Footnotes

A. ^ The "League" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in the Football League, Football Conference and Northern Premier League.

B. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in the FA Trophy and Football League Trophy.

References

1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Queen Anne Press. p. 122. ISBN 1-85291-665-6.
2. "U's Boost Defence". Cambridge United F.C. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
3. "Clarke anxious to gain third chance". Halifax Courier. 2006-07-25. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
4. "Former Player News". Cambridge United F.C. 2007-12-11. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
5. "Seasiders sign centre half". Blackpool F.C. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
6. "Halifax cash in on Clarke". BBC Sport. 2002-02-18. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
7. "Season 2001/2002:". Sportbox.tv. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
8. "Blackpool lift LDV Vans Trophy". BBC Sport. 2002-03-24. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
9. "Clarke joins Cambridge". BBC Sport. 2004-03-25. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
10. "Bishop makes the right move". The Press. 2004-07-14. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
11. "Brass seeks triple move". The Press. 2004-07-17. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
12. "Exit for Clarke". The Press. 2004-10-22. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
13. "Clarke signs on again at Halifax". BBC Sport. 2004-10-23. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
14. "Season 2004/2005:". Sportbox.tv. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
15. "Clarke joins Leigh in loan deal". BBC Sport. 2005-02-21. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
16. "Transfers - February 2005". BBC Sport. 2005-02-28. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
17. Oliver, Pete (2005-02-26). "Bleasdale starts to make his mark". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
18. "Wilder allows 10 players to leave". BBC Sport. 2005-04-29. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
19. "Parsley's men riding high at top of table". Telegraph & Argus. 2005-09-01. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
20. "Avenue's Guiseley old boys relishing return". Telegraph & Argus. 2006-11-07. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
21. "Play-off agony for Avenue". Telegraph & Argus. 2007-05-01.
22. "Season 2000/2001:". Sportbox.tv. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
23. "Season 2002/2003:". Sportbox.tv. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
24. "Season 2003/2004:". Sportbox.tv. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
25. Batters, Dave (2008). York City The Complete Record. The Breedon Books Publishing Company Limited. pp. 405–421. ISBN 978-1-85983-633-0.
26. "Player Details: Season 2005–2006". SoccerFactsUK. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
27. "Player Details: Season 2006–2007". SoccerFactsUK. Retrieved 2011-06-12.

External links

• Chris Clarke career statistics at Soccerbase