Daryl Clare
Encyclopedia
Daryl Adam Clare is a Jersey
-born Irish
former professional footballer. He played as a striker. He has previously played for Grimsby Town
, Northampton Town
, Cheltenham Town
, Boston United
, Chester City
, Crawley Town
, Burton Albion
, Rushden & Diamonds
, Mansfield Town
and Gateshead
. He has twice won the Conference Golden Boot for the season's leading scorer. He won the Football Conference
title twice, with Boston in 2002 and Chester in 2004. He has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-21
and B international
level.
, Clare had moved to Grimsby
as a youngster and made his league debut for Grimsby Town
near the end of the 1995–96 season when he came on as a substitute at home against Sheffield United
on 20 April 1996. At the time he was 17 years of age. His next appearance came a year and a half later, against Southend United
, while his first start came against Carlisle United
on 20 December 1997, when he was selected due to the injuries of Lee Nogan
and Jack Lester
. The team won that game 1–0 thanks to a goal from John McDermott
. That year Clare was part of the Town side that won promotion from the Second Division
via the play-offs
, though he took no part in the play-off final, and played on the winning side in the Football League Trophy
. He was voted as young player of the year for both Grimsby and the Republic of Ireland. During his time at Grimsby Town he had two loan spells at Northampton Town
and one at Cheltenham Town
.
Clare joined Boston United
on a free transfer in July 2001 after a trial there. He was a prolific goalscorer at Boston, scoring 24 goals in the Football Conference
as he helped them to win promotion to the Football League
at the end of the 2001–02 season. He was transfer-listed by the club in September 2002 after refusing to be selected for a place as a substitute, and joined Chester City
six weeks later, where his 29 league goals in the 2003–04 season contributed to the club's return to the Football League. He returned to Boston in November 2004, before joining Conference side Crawley Town
in August 2005 for a club record fee. He left Crawley in March 2006 after the club ran into financial difficulties, and joined Burton Albion
. He scored 18 goals in his first season at Burton and signed a new one-year contract in May 2007. He scored two goals in a losing cause in the semi-final of the play-offs. After scoring 42 goals in 93 games for Burton, he rejected the offer of a new contract and joined Rushden & Diamonds
for the 2008–09
season. He requested a transfer in January 2009 so as to be closer to his family, and media speculation suggested that he had become a transfer target for Gainsborough Trinity
, although this move failed to materialise. Clare was signed on loan until the end of the season by Mansfield Town
on 10 March. He scored on his debut after coming on as a substitute away at Grays Athletic
. He signed for Mansfield permanently on a one-year contract on 22 May and joined Gateshead
on a three-month loan on 16 October. Clare signed a permanent contract with Gateshead on 8 January 2010, moving there on a free transfer. He left Gateshead at the end of the season and signed for Cambridge United
on a two-year deal joining the U's for a fee of £10,000 on 1 July 2010. On 5 September 2010, Clare scored his first goal for Cambridge in a 5-0 win against his old team Gateshead F.C. He also had a penalty saved in this game.
Clare joined Alfreton Town on loan from Cambridge in February 2011.
Clare signed a one month loan deal for Gainsborough Trinity
on 10 August 2011. He was released by Cambridge United on 22nd September 2011.
and B international
level.
Boston United
Chester City
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
-born Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
former professional footballer. He played as a striker. He has previously played for Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
, 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...
, Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...
, Boston United
Boston United F.C.
Boston United Football Club are an association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. They currently play in the Conference North. The club is known as 'the Pilgrims' in reference to the Pilgrim Fathers, who fled from Boston to the USA and founded Boston, Massachusetts. The club's...
, Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
, Crawley Town
Crawley Town F.C.
Crawley Town Football Club is an English football club based in Crawley, West Sussex. They won the title of the Football Conference, by a record 15 point margin on second place, and with it promotion to The Football League, in April 2011.-1896–2009:...
, Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
, Rushden & Diamonds
Rushden & Diamonds F.C.
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Formed by a merger of Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds in 1992, the club played in the Conference National following a short spell in the Football League at the start of...
, Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
and Gateshead
Gateshead F.C.
Gateshead Football Club are a professional Association football club, based in Gateshead, England. They currently play in the Conference National, the fifth level of the English football league system.Ian Bogie is the current manager....
. He has twice won the Conference Golden Boot for the season's leading scorer. He won the Football Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
title twice, with Boston in 2002 and Chester in 2004. He has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-21
Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team
The Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team, is the national under-21 football team of the Republic of Ireland and is controlled by the Football Association of Ireland and competes in the biennial European Under-21 Football Championship and has competed since 1978.-Competition...
and B international
Republic of Ireland B national football team
Republic of Ireland B is the reserve team of the Republic of Ireland national football team. There are no competitions for B teams. However since 1957 the Football Association of Ireland has arranged occasional friendlies.-Early B internationals:...
level.
Club career
Born in the island of JerseyJersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, Clare had moved to Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
as a youngster and made his league debut for Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
near the end of the 1995–96 season when he came on as a substitute at home against 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...
on 20 April 1996. At the time he was 17 years of age. His next appearance came a year and a half later, 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...
, while his first start came against Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
on 20 December 1997, when he was selected due to the injuries of Lee Nogan
Lee Nogan
Lee Martin Nogan is a Welsh footballer and football manager who plays as a forward for Conference North side F.C. Halifax Town, where he is also the clubs assistant manager....
and Jack Lester
Jack Lester
Jack William Lester is an English professional footballer, currently playing for English Football League One side Chesterfield. He plays either as a striker or an attacking midfielder...
. The team won that game 1–0 thanks to a goal from John McDermott
John McDermott
John McDermott may refer to:*John McDermott , American athlete*John McDermott , former Grimsby Town footballer*John McDermott , former Meath Gaelic footballer*John McDermott , British boxer...
. That year Clare was part of the Town side that won promotion from 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...
via the play-offs
Football League One play-offs
The Football League One Playoffs are a series of playoff matches, contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the NPower Football League One table to determine the third spot for promotion to the second tier of English football, the Championship....
, though he took no part in the play-off final, and played on the winning side in the 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...
. He was voted as young player of the year for both Grimsby and the Republic of Ireland. During his time at Grimsby Town he had two loan spells at 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...
and one at Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...
.
Clare joined Boston United
Boston United F.C.
Boston United Football Club are an association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. They currently play in the Conference North. The club is known as 'the Pilgrims' in reference to the Pilgrim Fathers, who fled from Boston to the USA and founded Boston, Massachusetts. The club's...
on a free transfer in July 2001 after a trial there. He was a prolific goalscorer at Boston, scoring 24 goals in the Football Conference
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
as he helped them to win promotion to the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
at the end of the 2001–02 season. He was transfer-listed by the club in September 2002 after refusing to be selected for a place as a substitute, and joined Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
six weeks later, where his 29 league goals in the 2003–04 season contributed to the club's return to the Football League. He returned to Boston in November 2004, before joining Conference side Crawley Town
Crawley Town F.C.
Crawley Town Football Club is an English football club based in Crawley, West Sussex. They won the title of the Football Conference, by a record 15 point margin on second place, and with it promotion to The Football League, in April 2011.-1896–2009:...
in August 2005 for a club record fee. He left Crawley in March 2006 after the club ran into financial difficulties, and joined Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
. He scored 18 goals in his first season at Burton and signed a new one-year contract in May 2007. He scored two goals in a losing cause in the semi-final of the play-offs. After scoring 42 goals in 93 games for Burton, he rejected the offer of a new contract and joined Rushden & Diamonds
Rushden & Diamonds F.C.
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Formed by a merger of Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds in 1992, the club played in the Conference National following a short spell in the Football League at the start of...
for the 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...
season. He requested a transfer in January 2009 so as to be closer to his family, and media speculation suggested that he had become a transfer target for Gainsborough Trinity
Gainsborough Trinity F.C.
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304...
, although this move failed to materialise. Clare was signed on loan until the end of the season by Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
on 10 March. He scored on his debut after coming on as a substitute away at Grays Athletic
Grays Athletic F.C.
Grays Athletic Football Club is an English football club currently based in Corringham, Essex after leaving the New Recreation Ground in Grays at the end of the 2009–10 season...
. He signed for Mansfield permanently on a one-year contract on 22 May and joined Gateshead
Gateshead F.C.
Gateshead Football Club are a professional Association football club, based in Gateshead, England. They currently play in the Conference National, the fifth level of the English football league system.Ian Bogie is the current manager....
on a three-month loan on 16 October. Clare signed a permanent contract with Gateshead on 8 January 2010, moving there on a free transfer. He left Gateshead at the end of the season and signed for Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
on a two-year deal joining the U's for a fee of £10,000 on 1 July 2010. On 5 September 2010, Clare scored his first goal for Cambridge in a 5-0 win against his old team Gateshead F.C. He also had a penalty saved in this game.
Clare joined Alfreton Town on loan from Cambridge in February 2011.
Clare signed a one month loan deal for Gainsborough Trinity
Gainsborough Trinity F.C.
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304...
on 10 August 2011. He was released by Cambridge United on 22nd September 2011.
International career
Clare has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-21Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team
The Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team, is the national under-21 football team of the Republic of Ireland and is controlled by the Football Association of Ireland and competes in the biennial European Under-21 Football Championship and has competed since 1978.-Competition...
and B international
Republic of Ireland B national football team
Republic of Ireland B is the reserve team of the Republic of Ireland national football team. There are no competitions for B teams. However since 1957 the Football Association of Ireland has arranged occasional friendlies.-Early B internationals:...
level.
Honours
Grimsby Town- Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 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...
play-off winner: 1997–98 - Auto Windscreens ShieldFootball League TrophyThe 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...
winner: 1997–98 - Supporters Young Player of the Year: 1997–98
Boston United
- Conference Champions: 2001–02
- Conference Golden Boot: 2001–02
Chester City
- Conference Champions: 2003–04
- National Game Awards Player of the Year: 2003–04
- Conference Golden Boot: 2003–04
- Talksport Nationwide Conference Player of the Year: 2003–04