Peter Clarke (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Peter Michael Clarke is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 professional footballer who plays as a centre back
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

 for Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...

, where he is club captain.

Clarke began his career with Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

, during his time there he made nine league appearances and had loan spells with Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...

, Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

 and Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...

. He then joined Blackpool on a permanent basis in 2004, where he also captained the club. He has also captained Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...

 who he joined in 2006, before joining Huddersfield Town in 2009. He won the Player of the Season award at Blackpool, Southend and Huddersfield (twice) in the 2004–05, 2008–09, 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons respectively. Clarke also gained eight caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...

 for the England under-21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....

 team between 2002 and 2003.

Everton

Clarke started his career with Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

, signing his first professional contract in January 1999. He made his senior debut in 2001 against Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...

. He made just nine appearances in the Premier League, largely in the unfamiliar position of right back, rather than his preferred centre-half position.

In August 2002, he went on out loan to Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...

, where he made sixteen league appearances, scoring three goals (two of which came on his home debut) in a three-month loan spell. His performances played a large part in the Seasiders stringing together a run of clean sheets and rising to the edge of the 2002–03 play-off
Football League Play-Offs
The Football League play-offs are an annual series of football matches to determine some of the promotion places within the Football League. Essentially, each division of the league offers a certain number of automatic promotion places to the top two or three clubs. A further promotion place is...

 picture. Despite manager Steve McMahon
Steve McMahon
Stephen Joseph McMahon is an English former football midfielder who most notably played for Liverpool in the late 1980s...

's best efforts, a permanent deal did not materialise and Clarke returned to Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...

 in early November.

In February 2003, he went out on loan again, this time to Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

, also of the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

, where he made thirteen appearances in another three-month spell. He won praise from manager Brian Horton
Brian Horton
Brian Horton is an English former footballer and manager, who is working as Phil Brown's assistant at Preston North End.Horton played for Hednesford Town, Port Vale, Brighton & Hove Albion, Luton Town and Hull City as a midfielder...

 for his strong work ethic.

He spent February 2004 on loan at First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

 Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...

, playing five games. His contract with Everton expired at the end of the 2003–04 season, and he turned down the club's offer of a new contract, though he remained at the club on a month-to-month contract.

Blackpool

In September 2004 Clarke signed for Blackpool, then managed by Colin Hendry
Colin Hendry
Edward Colin Hendry is a retired Scottish footballer and manager, who played as a defender. Hendry started his career with Dundee in 1983 and spent spells at Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Rangers, Coventry City, Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool...

, initially on a one-month loan but with an agreement to make the move permanent, for £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...

150,000. When Clarke arrived at the club, Blackpool were eight points short from safety. Helping to shore up the defence, his impact helped the club to avoid relegation. His contribution was recognized at the end of season award evening, as he picked up the Player of the Year award, as well as three other individual awards.

Despite the departure of Hendry, he continued to be a vital part of the club's line-up, playing all 46 league games in the 2005–06 season under new manager Simon Grayson
Simon Grayson
Simon Nicholas Grayson is a retired English footballer and current manager of Leeds United. He is the elder brother of cricketer Paul Grayson....

. At the end of that campaign he picked up the Blackpool Gazette
Blackpool Gazette
The Blackpool Gazette is an English evening newspaper based in Blackpool, Lancashire. Published every day except Sunday, it covers the towns and communities of the Fylde coast...

 and Supporters Websites awards, as well as the Alan Lowis Memorial Trophy. He made a total of 109 appearances for Blackpool, including his loan spell, and was also the club's captain.

Southend United

In August 2006 Clarke left Blackpool, despite the offer of an improved contract, and signed for Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

 newcomers Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...

. He signed a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee, citing his desire to play Championship football. Clarke hoped the club could progress and even reach the top-flight, however Southend were relegated back into League One at the end of the his first season after finishing seven points short of safety.

He spent the 2007–08 season back in League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....

, and promotion hopes were ended following a 5–1 defeat to Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...

 in the play-off semi-finals. In June 2008 Clarke was transfer-listed, along with Nicky Bailey
Nicky Bailey
Nicky Francis Bailey is an English professional football player currently playing for Middlesbrough. He has also played for the England C national team.-Club career:...

 and Simon Francis
Simon Francis (footballer)
Simon Charles Francis is an English footballer who plays for Charlton Athletic as a defender.-Career:Born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Francis was rejected as a youngster by both hometown clubs Notts County and Nottingham Forest. Instead he joined Bradford City as a trainee in 2002 after being...

, after the three failed to agree terms over contract extensions. Chairman Ron Martin blamed Clarke's agent for unsettling him at the club.

A move did not materialise, and Clarke continued to play for Southend in the 2008–09 season
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...

, and vowed to give his best until his situation could be resolved. On 3 January 2009, Clarke scored a last-minute headed equaliser against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

, a team challenging for the Premier League title, in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

 Third Round tie. BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 journalist Phil McNulty called it a "career-defining moment" for Clarke in a piece about the "magic" of the FA Cup. Clarke built up a strong defensive partnership with young Frenchman Dorian Dervite. However chairman Ron Martin told the press that Clarke had snubbed talks of extending his contract beyond the summer,. despite the club's wish to keep ahold of the player. Clarke denied this and stated that "I'm just waiting for him [Martin] to come and speak to me". Following the club's eighth place finish, Clarke was voted the club's Player of the Season for the 2008–09 season by both fans and players.

Huddersfield Town

In June 2009, Clarke announced that he had agreed a three-year contract with League One side Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...

. He stated that he believed he was taking career to a higher level by securing the switch from Southend to Huddersfield. In doing so he rejected an offer from Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...

. The following month manager Lee Clark appointed Clarke as club captain. He made his debut in a 2–2 draw against Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...

 at Roots Hall
Roots Hall
Roots Hall is a multi-use sports stadium in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, primarily used for football games and is the home of the Football League Two club Southend United. With a capacity of 12,392 Roots Hall is the largest football stadium in Essex, and is the current venue for the final of...

 on 8 August. He scored his first goal for the Terriers ten days later in a 7–1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....

 at the Galpharm Stadium
Galpharm Stadium
The Galpharm Stadium, formerly the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, is a multi-use sports in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. Since 1994, it has been the home ground of Huddersfield Town and Super League side, Huddersfield Giants.-The Stadium:...

. On 14 November, Clarke added two more goals in a 6–0 win over Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...

. He also scored the winning goal in Huddersfield's 1–0 home win over Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...

. He was named Player of the Season for Huddersfield. He captained Huddersfield to a sixth-placed finish in League One, securing a play-off semi-final spot after playing in all 46 league games. They lost out 2–0 to Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...

 at the semi-final stage.

In 2010–11
2010–11 Huddersfield Town F.C. season
Huddersfield Town's 2010–11 campaign was Huddersfield Town's seventh consecutive season in the third tier of English football. After losing to Millwall in the play-offs in the previous season, many hoped that Town would gain promotion to the Football League Championship this season...

 Clarke led his side to a third place finish, again an ever-present in the first eleven, starting and finishing all league games. He was rewarded with a new three year contract, keeping him at the club until summer 2014. This time they made it into the play-off final
2011 Football League One play-off Final
The 2011 Football League One play-off final was a football match contested by Huddersfield Town and Peterborough United on 29 May 2011 at Old Trafford to decide the third team to be promoted from League One to the Championship for the 2011–12 season....

, where they were beaten 3–0 by Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...

. Clarke was made Town's Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, and was also made PFA Fans' Player of the Year
PFA Fans' Player of the Year
The ESPN Professional Footballers' Association Fans' Player of the Year award is given to footballers in the top four flights of English football, the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two.The shortlist is compiled by the members of the Professional Footballers'...

 for League One.

International career

Clarke gained England under-21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....

 honours, and captained England from Under-16 to Under-21 levels. He made his debut for the England Under-21 team in 2002 as a substitute against Slovakia Under-21's
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...

. He gained a total of eight caps for the under-21 side between 2002 and 2003.

Statistics

|-
|1998–99
1998–99 Everton F.C. season
During the 1998–99 English football season, Everton F.C. competed in the FA Premier League .-Season summary:...

|| rowspan="5" |Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

|| rowspan="5" |Premier League||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1999–2000
1999–2000 Everton F.C. season
During the 1999–2000 English football season, Everton F.C. competed in the FA Premier League.-Season summary:1999–2000 brought a one-place improvement upon last season's 14th place finish for Everton, but the blue half of Merseyside was still left frustrated by their side's lack of success,...

||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|2000–01
2000–01 Everton F.C. season
Everton F.C. only just hung on to its Premier League status, with Paul Gascoigne failing to improve the teams' fortunes. Manager Walter Smith was put under heavy pressure.-Final league table:-Legend:-FA Premier League:-FA Cup:-League Cup:...

||1||0||0||0||0||0||1||0
|-
|2001–02
2001–02 Everton F.C. season
-Season summary:The Everton directors finally lost patience with Walter Smith when they sacked him on 13 March. Preston boss David Moyes was named as his successor, and did a good job of steering Everton clear of the drop zone – though they finished 15th in the table.-Kit:Everton retained the...

||7||0||3||0||0||0||10||0
|-
|2002–03
2002–03 Everton F.C. season
During the 2002–03 English football season, Everton F.C. competed in the FA Premier League .-Season summary:...

||0||0||1||0||0||0||1||0
|-
|2002–03||Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...

|| rowspan="2" |Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

||16||3||0||0||0||0||16||3
|-
|2002–03
2002–03 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2002–03 season was Port Vale's ninety-first season of football in the Football League, and third successive season in the Second Division. Another poor season, Brian Horton's side avoided relegation with a seventeenth place finish...

||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

||13||1||0||0||0||0||13||1
|-
|2003–04
2003–04 Everton F.C. season
During the 2003–04 English football season, Everton F.C. competed in the FA Premier League .-Season summary:...

||Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

||Premier League||1||0||0||0||1||0||2||0
|-
|2003–04||Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...

||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

||5||0||0||0||0||0||5||0
|-
|2004–05|| rowspan="2" |Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...

|| rowspan="2" |League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....

||38||5||4||1||0||0||43||6
|-
|2005–06||46||6||1||1||2||1||50||8
|-
|2006–07|| rowspan="3" |Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...

||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

||38||2||3||0||4||0||45||2
|-
|2007–08|| rowspan="2" |League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....

||47||4||5||0||2||0||55||4
|-
|2008–09||43||4||5||1||1||0||50||5
|-
|2009–10|| rowspan="3" |Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...

|| rowspan="3" |League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....

||46||5||3||0||2||0||54||6
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Huddersfield Town F.C. season
Huddersfield Town's 2010–11 campaign was Huddersfield Town's seventh consecutive season in the third tier of English football. After losing to Millwall in the play-offs in the previous season, many hoped that Town would gain promotion to the Football League Championship this season...

||46||4||5||0||2||0||59||4
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Huddersfield Town F.C. season
Huddersfield Town's 2011–12 campaign is Huddersfield Town's eighth consecutive season in the third tier of English football. After losing to Peterborough United in the play-off final the previous season, Town will be hoping to avoid the play-offs and push for automatic promotion this...

|||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
347||34||30||3||14||1||404||39
347||34||30||3||14||1||404||39
  • Football League Trophy
    Football League Trophy
    The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...

     and play-off statistics included in totals column.

Honours

Individual
  • Blackpool
    Blackpool F.C.
    Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...

     Player of the Season: 2004–05
  • Southend United
    Southend United F.C.
    Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...

     Player of the Season: 2008–09
    2008–09 in English football
    The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...

  • Huddersfield Town
    Huddersfield Town F.C.
    Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...

     Player of the Season: 2009–10
    2009–10 in English football
    The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...

     & 2010–11
    2010–11 in English football
    The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May...

  • PFA League One
    Football League One
    Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....

     Fans Player of the Year
    PFA Fans' Player of the Year
    The ESPN Professional Footballers' Association Fans' Player of the Year award is given to footballers in the top four flights of English football, the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two.The shortlist is compiled by the members of the Professional Footballers'...

    : 2010–11
    2010–11 in English football
    The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May...


External links

  • Profile at Huddersfield Town's official site
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