Billy Clarke
Encyclopedia
William Charles "Billy" Clarke (born 13 December 1987) is an Irish
footballer who plays for Blackpool
. He is a striker and has played for Ireland at various levels up to under-21.
, Clarke is a product of the Ipswich Town
Academy and signed professional for the club in May 2005. He made his professional début as a substitute against Cardiff City
in late November 2005. He won the Irish Examiner
Junior Sports Star of the year award for Soccer in 2005 and was nominated for the Irish Under-19 Player of the Year award in 2006. He also made a big contribution to Ipswich's youth team in winning the FA Youth Cup
in 2005.
At the end of the 2005–06 season he was sent on loan to Colchester United
to gain first team experience, playing six league games. During the January 2008 transfer window, he joined Scottish side Falkirk
on loan. He scored his first goal, a late winner, in a crucial match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle
.
After returning to Ipswich Clarke scored his first league goal in the 2–1 victory over Southampton
and followed it up three days later with the winning goal in the 2–1 victory over Coventry City
. He also scored in a 3–1 victory over Essex
side, Southend United
.
Clarke was transfer-listed and on 8 August 2008 went to Darlington
on one month's loan, which was extended to January 2009. He scored four times against Macclesfield Town
on 30 August 2008. He also scored a vital goal in the Carling Cup
against Walsall
, knocking the League One
side out of the cup.
He joined Northampton Town
on a month's loan in January 2009. He scored a hat-trick on his debut in a 5–1 victory over Crewe Alexandra
. It was the first hat-trick scored by a Cobblers player since 2002.
Clarke joined Brentford
on loan in the run-in to their attempt to win promotion out of League Two
. He was recruited mainly to cover for the absence of fellow Ipswich loanee Jordan Rhodes
, who was injured. Clarke scored his first goal for the Bees in the 1–1 draw at Bradford City. He ended his loan spell scoring six goals in eight games. He had scored 18 goals overall during his three loan spells that season with Darlington, Northampton and Brentford. He was nominated twice during the season for the League Two Player of the Month.
Clarke was released by new Ipswich manager Roy Keane
on 8 May 2009.
side Blackpool
on a two-year contract with an option for a further year; his contract starting on 1 July, once his Ipswich contract expired. Clarke said of the move, "It happened very quickly. I met the manager (Ian Holloway
) on Tuesday and I had my medical this morning. I am delighted to be here and I can't wait for the season to start," adding "It is brilliant for me to be still playing in the Championship.
His first game for the Seasiders was a pre-season friendly
against non-league
side Burscough
on 11 July. Two days later he scored the second goal as Blackpool beat Barnstaple Town
5–0 in a 2009 South West Challenge Cup group stage match.
On 8 August Clarke made his league debut as a 73rd-minute substitute as Blackpool started the 2009–10 season with a 1–1 draw with Queens Park Rangers
at Loftus Road
. He scored his first goal for the Seasiders in a 4–3 defeat to Stoke City
at the Britannia Stadium
in the third round of the 2009–10
League Cup
on 22 September. His first league start came in the 2–0 win over Plymouth Argyle
at Bloomfield Road
on 17 October. His first league goal came after just 23 seconds of the West Lancashire derby
1–1 draw with Preston North End
on 30 November. He also won the Sky Sports
"Man of the Match" award for his performance.
After three months out through injury, Clarke made his return to action as a 78th-minute substitute in the 1–0 home win over his former club Ipswich Town on 6 March 2010. During pre-season for the 2010–11
season, which was Blackpool's debut in the Premier League, Clarke suffered a knee injury that would, it was initially thought, keep him out of action for three months; however, on 26 July it was revealed that the injury was more severe and that he could miss the whole campaign. This was confirmed when, on 2 February 2011, he was left out of Blackpool's 25-man squad for the remainder of the campaign.
The club exercised a third year option on him so he is in the squad for the 2011/2012 season.
With first team opportunities proving limited Clarke agreed a months loan to Sheffield United
in October 2011, going on to make five appearances and score one goal for the South Yorkshire
club. Clarke went on to say that the bacon butties in Sheffield were among the best he has ever tasted in his whole career.
|2005–06||Ipswich Town
||Championship
||2||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||0
|-
|2005–06||Colchester United
(loan)||League One
||6||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||0
|-
|2006–07||rowspan="2"|Ipswich Town
||rowspan="2"|Championship
||27||3||4||0||1||1||32||4
|-
|2007–08||20||0||1||0||1||0||22||0
|-
|-
|2007–08||Falkirk
(loan)||Scottish Premier League
||8||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||8||1
|-
|-
|2008–09||Darlington
(loan)||League Two
||20||8||1||0||2||1||25||9
|-
|2008–09||Northampton Town
(loan)||League One
||5||3||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||5||3
|-
|2008–09||Brentford
(loan)||League Two
||8||6||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||8||6
|-
|2009–10
||Blackpool
||Championship
||18||1||colspan="2"|-||3||1||21||2
|-
8||1||0||0||0||0||8||1
106||20||6||0||7||3||121||23
114||21||6||0||7||3||129||24
Notes:
a. All Football League Trophy
results are included in totals
Brentford
Colchester
. He has made 45 appearances at under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 scoring 14 goals. In May 2008 he played in the inaugural Intercontinental Cup in Malaysia.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
footballer who plays for 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...
. He is a striker and has played for Ireland at various levels up to under-21.
Ipswich Town
Born in CorkCork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, Clarke is a product of the Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
Academy and signed professional for the club in May 2005. He made his professional début as a substitute against Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
in late November 2005. He won the Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner
The Irish Examiner, formerly The Cork Examiner and then The Examiner, is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country...
Junior Sports Star of the year award for Soccer in 2005 and was nominated for the Irish Under-19 Player of the Year award in 2006. He also made a big contribution to Ipswich's youth team in winning the FA Youth Cup
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...
in 2005.
At the end of the 2005–06 season he was sent on loan to Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
to gain first team experience, playing six league games. During the January 2008 transfer window, he joined Scottish side Falkirk
Falkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
on loan. He scored his first goal, a late winner, in a crucial match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club from Inverness who compete in the Scottish Premier League. They are currently managed by Terry Butcher and assistant manager Maurice Malpas...
.
After returning to Ipswich Clarke scored his first league goal in the 2–1 victory over Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
and followed it up three days later with the winning goal in the 2–1 victory over 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 also scored in a 3–1 victory over Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
side, 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...
.
Clarke was transfer-listed and on 8 August 2008 went to Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
on one month's loan, which was extended to January 2009. He scored four times against Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town F.C.
Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
on 30 August 2008. He also scored a vital goal in the Carling Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
against Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
, knocking the 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....
side out of the cup.
He joined Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
on a month's loan in January 2009. He scored a hat-trick on his debut in a 5–1 victory over Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
. It was the first hat-trick scored by a Cobblers player since 2002.
Clarke joined Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
on loan in the run-in to their attempt to win promotion out of League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. He was recruited mainly to cover for the absence of fellow Ipswich loanee Jordan Rhodes
Jordan Rhodes
Jordan Luke Rhodes is an English-born Scottish international footballer who plays for Huddersfield Town in Football League One as a striker. He spent most of his his early childhood living in Scotland where his father was playing as a professional footballer...
, who was injured. Clarke scored his first goal for the Bees in the 1–1 draw at Bradford City. He ended his loan spell scoring six goals in eight games. He had scored 18 goals overall during his three loan spells that season with Darlington, Northampton and Brentford. He was nominated twice during the season for the League Two Player of the Month.
Clarke was released by new Ipswich manager Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
on 8 May 2009.
Blackpool
On 26 June Clarke signed for fellow ChampionshipFootball 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...
side 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...
on a two-year contract with an option for a further year; his contract starting on 1 July, once his Ipswich contract expired. Clarke said of the move, "It happened very quickly. I met the manager (Ian Holloway
Ian Holloway
Ian Scott Holloway is an English football manager and former player. He became the manager of Blackpool in May 2009. Holloway is well-known amongst football fans for his off-the-wall interviews, with a wide selection of quotes and soundbites being printed. Holloway's playing career spanned 18...
) on Tuesday and I had my medical this morning. I am delighted to be here and I can't wait for the season to start," adding "It is brilliant for me to be still playing in the Championship.
His first game for the Seasiders was a pre-season friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
against non-league
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
side Burscough
Burscough F.C.
Burscough F.C. is an English football club based in Burscough, Lancashire. The club are members of the Northern Premier League Premier Division and groundshare with Skelmersdale United...
on 11 July. Two days later he scored the second goal as Blackpool beat Barnstaple Town
Barnstaple Town F.C.
Barnstaple Town F.C. is a football club that play in Barnstaple, Devon, England. They are currently members of the Western League, a league covering south western England....
5–0 in a 2009 South West Challenge Cup group stage match.
On 8 August Clarke made his league debut as a 73rd-minute substitute as Blackpool started the 2009–10 season with a 1–1 draw with Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
at Loftus Road
Loftus Road
Loftus Road is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, London. It is home to the English football team Queens Park Rangers of the Premier League and has a capacity of around 18,500. The four stands are called the Loftus Road End , Ellerslie Road Stand, South Africa Road Stand and the School End,...
. He scored his first goal for the Seasiders in a 4–3 defeat to Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
at the Britannia Stadium
Britannia Stadium
The Britannia Stadium is an all-seater football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England and the home of Premier League club Stoke City Football Club. With space for 27,598 spectators . The name is taken from the sponsors of the Stadium the Britannia Co-operative Bank...
in the third round of the 2009–10
2009–10 Football League Cup
The 2009–10 Football League Cup, known as the Carling Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by lager brand Carling, was the 50th season of the Football League Cup, a knock-out competition for England's top 92 football clubs....
League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
on 22 September. His first league start came in the 2–0 win over Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
on 17 October. His first league goal came after just 23 seconds of the West Lancashire derby
West Lancashire derby
The West Lancashire derby is a local derby in English football, between Lancashire neighbours Blackpool F.C. and Preston North End F.C. The derby has taken place across all four tiers of the Football League, but not yet in the Premier League...
1–1 draw with Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
on 30 November. He also won the Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
"Man of the Match" award for his performance.
After three months out through injury, Clarke made his return to action as a 78th-minute substitute in the 1–0 home win over his former club Ipswich Town on 6 March 2010. During pre-season for the 2010–11
2010–11 Blackpool F.C. season
The 2010–11 season was Blackpool F.C.s debut season in the Premier League, after winning the 2009–10 Championship play-off Final in what was their 100th consecutive season in the Football League. It was also their 28th overall season in English football's top tier, but their first since 1971. It...
season, which was Blackpool's debut in the Premier League, Clarke suffered a knee injury that would, it was initially thought, keep him out of action for three months; however, on 26 July it was revealed that the injury was more severe and that he could miss the whole campaign. This was confirmed when, on 2 February 2011, he was left out of Blackpool's 25-man squad for the remainder of the campaign.
The club exercised a third year option on him so he is in the squad for the 2011/2012 season.
With first team opportunities proving limited Clarke agreed a months loan to Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
in October 2011, going on to make five appearances and score one goal for the South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
club. Clarke went on to say that the bacon butties in Sheffield were among the best he has ever tasted in his whole career.
Club career statistics
|-|2005–06||Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
||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...
||2||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||0
|-
|2005–06||Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
(loan)||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....
||6||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||0
|-
|2006–07||rowspan="2"|Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
||rowspan="2"|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...
||27||3||4||0||1||1||32||4
|-
|2007–08||20||0||1||0||1||0||22||0
|-
|-
|2007–08||Falkirk
Falkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
(loan)||Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
||8||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||8||1
|-
|-
|2008–09||Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
(loan)||League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||20||8||1||0||2||1||25||9
|-
|2008–09||Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
(loan)||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....
||5||3||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||5||3
|-
|2008–09||Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
(loan)||League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||8||6||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||8||6
|-
|2009–10
Blackpool F.C. season 2009–10
The 2009–10 season was Blackpool F.C.s 103rd season in the Football League. It was also their third consecutive season in The Championship, the second tier of English football. The club won promotion, via the play-offs, to the Premier League for the first time, their 28th overall season in the top...
||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...
||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...
||18||1||colspan="2"|-||3||1||21||2
|-
8||1||0||0||0||0||8||1
106||20||6||0||7||3||121||23
114||21||6||0||7||3||129||24
Notes:
a. All 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...
results are included in totals
Honours
Blackpool- ChampionshipFootball League ChampionshipThe 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...
play-off final winner: 2009–10
Brentford
- Football League 2 Division winners 2009
Colchester
- Football League 1 Division runners up 2006
International career
Clarke has played at various levels for the Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. He has made 45 appearances at under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 scoring 14 goals. In May 2008 he played in the inaugural Intercontinental Cup in Malaysia.
External links
- Billy Clarke player profile at blackpoolfc.co.uk
- Billy Clarke player profile at itfc.co.uk