Billy Clifford (footballer)

Billy Clifford

Clifford warming-up for Chelsea in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Billy Clifford [1]
Date of birth	(1992-10-18) 18 October 1992 (age 32) [2]
Place of birth	Slough, England
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) [3]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Barnet
Number	21
Youth career
1999–2010	Chelsea
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2010–2014	Chelsea	0	(0)
2013	→ Colchester United (loan)	18	(1)
2013	→ Yeovil Town (loan)	0	(0)
2014	→ Royal Antwerp (loan)	4	(0)
2014–2015	Walsall	13	(0)
2015–2016	Boreham Wood	21	(1)
2016–2018	Crawley Town	43	(1)
2018	Boreham Wood	0	(0)
2018	Hemel Hempstead Town	7	(1)
2018–2019	Billericay Town	11	(0)
2019	→ Slough Town (loan)	8	(1)
2019–2020	Wealdstone	31	(6)
2020–2023	Havant & Waterlooville	70	(2)
2023–2024	Ebbsfleet United	47	(3)
2024–	Barnet	0	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:29, 24 June 2024 (UTC)

Billy Clifford (born 18 October 1992) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for National League club Barnet. He played in the Football League for Colchester United, Walsall and Crawley Town, in the Belgian Second Division for Royal Antwerp and National League South for Wealdstone.

Club career

Chelsea

Born in Slough, Clifford came through the Chelsea academy, having signed with them at the age of 8. ^[4] He turned professional in 2010. He played in Chelsea's pre-season friendly away to Ajax, and on 18 October, he joined the first team for an away Champions League game against Spartak Moscow, where he was an unused substitute. ^[5] Clifford signed a new four-year contract for Chelsea in September 2011. ^[2] On 19 March 2012, Clifford made headlines when he, along with Jacob Mellis, set off a smoke grenade and caused an evacuation of the club's Cobham training ground. The pair escaped with a fine after admitting he brought the grenade – understood to be from a paintball expedition – into Chelsea's Cobham training headquarters. ^[6] The pair were suspended after the incident on 2 March, though Mellis was sacked.^{[ citation needed ]}

On 11 January 2013, he joined Colchester United on a one-month loan deal, and made his debut the next day as they fell to a 2–1 home defeat to Scunthorpe – a club-record ninth successive defeat. ^[7] Having been joined in Essex by his Chelsea teammate Sam Walker, also on loan, ^[8] Billy started the remaining four games of his initial loan spell as the U's fortunes began to turn.

On 12 February after a 1–0 win at home to Preston North End, ^[9] the loan deal was extended until the end of the season ^[10] with Colchester boss Joe Dunne describing Billy as "tenacious, has great technical ability, his heart is big and it's a chance to get out and play which he has taken." ^[11]

A fortnight later he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win at home to Yeovil Town, ^[12] before assisting Jabo Ibehre to open the scoring in another 2–0 win at Stevenage which took the U's out of the bottom four. ^[13] He made his final appearance for the club on the final day of the 2012–13 season, helping the club secure a 2–0 away victory at Carlisle United to guarantee League One safety. ^[14]

On 10 July 2013, Clifford joined EFL Championship side Yeovil Town on a six-month loan deal. ^[15] He made his debut for Yeovil as in their EFL Cup first round victory over Southend United, on 6 August 2013. ^[16] On 25 August, Clifford returned to Chelsea after failing to break into the Yeovil first team. ^[17]

On 30 January 2014, Clifford was loaned for the rest of the season to Belgian club Royal Antwerp, then managed by former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. ^[18]

Later career

On 7 August 2014, Clifford agreed to cancel his contract with Chelsea by mutual consent to seek regular football. ^[19] On 8 August 2014, Walsall signed the midfielder on a six-month contract. ^[20] The next day, Clifford made his debut for the club, where he came on as substitute for James Baxendale in the 70th minute, in a 1–1 draw against Port Vale. ^[21] Clifford made thirteen league appearances for Walsall before leaving the club on 9 January 2015 at the end of his contract. ^[22]

On 15 July 2015, Clifford joined Boreham Wood after a successful trial. ^[23] He left the Wood at the end of the season after contributing to the club's successful battle against relegation.

On 20 July 2016, Clifford joined Crawley Town on a one-year deal following a successful trial. ^[24] On 6 August 2016, Clifford made his Crawley debut in a 1–0 victory against Wycombe Wanderers, replacing Jason Banton in the 82nd minute. ^[25] A week later, manager Dermot Drummy gave Clifford his first Crawley start in a 1–1 draw against Doncaster Rovers, in which he featured up until the 70th minute before being replaced by Bobson Bawling. ^[26] On 5 November 2016, in an FA Cup tie against Bristol Rovers, Clifford scored Crawley's equaliser in a 1–1 draw, scoring in the 35th minute after Lee Brown had given the visitors the lead. ^[27] On 14 May 2018, it was announced that Clifford would leave Crawley at the end of his current deal in June. ^[28]

On 3 August 2018, Clifford agreed to return to Boreham Wood, signing on a non-contract basis following a successful trial period. ^[29]

After featuring as an unused substitute on two occasions whilst back at Boreham Wood, Clifford opted to join National League South side Hemel Hempstead Town and went on to make his debut in a 2–0 loss against Woking in August 2018. ^[30] Clifford then followed manager Dean Brennan to Billericay Town in December before joining Slough Town on loan until the end of the season in February 2019. ^[31]

On 20 July 2019, Clifford signed for Wealdstone. ^[32] He made his debut on 3 August 2019 in a 4–1 victory against Dartford, ^[33] and then scored his first goal for the club a week later in a 4–0 win away to Braintree Town. Clifford made a total of 31 league appearances for Wealdstone, scoring 6 times ^[34] and earning a place in the team of the year as his side won promotion to the National League ^[35] He signed a one-year contract extension in July 2020 ^[36]

On 18 August 2020, Clifford signed for Havant & Waterlooville ^{[37] [38]}

On 27 January 2023, Clifford Signed for National League South side Ebbsfleet United ^[39] after he was released by his former club by mutual consent. ^[40]

On 24 June 2024, Clifford joined fellow National League side Barnet on a two-year contract. ^[41]

Career statistics

Club

As of end of 2023–24 season ^[42]

Appearances by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Chelsea	2010–11 [43]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2011–12 [44]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2012–13 [45]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2013–14 [46]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Colchester United (loan)	2012–13 [45]	League One	18	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	1
Yeovil Town (loan)	2013–14 [46]	Championship	0	0	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
Royal Antwerp (loan)	2013–14 [47]	Belgian Second Division	4	0	0	0	—		—		4	0
Walsall	2014–15 [48]	League One	13	0	0	0	2	0	1 [a]	0	16	0
Boreham Wood	2015–16 [49]	National League	21	1	2	0	—		0	0	23	1
Crawley Town	2016–17 [50]	League Two	36	0	2	1	0	0	4 [a]	0	42	1
	2017–18 [51]	League Two	7	1	1	0	1	0	3 [a]	0	12	1
	Total		43	1	3	1	1	0	7	0	54	2
Boreham Wood	2018–19 [52]	National League	0	0	0	0	—		0	0	0	0
Hemel Hempstead Town	2018–19 [53]	National League South	7	1	4	0	—		0	0	11	1
Billericay Town	2018–19 [53]	National League South	11	0	0	0	—		2	0	13	0
Slough Town (loan)	2018–19 [53]	National League South	8	1	0	0	—		0	0	8	1
Wealdstone	2019–20	National League South	31	6	5	1	—		1 [b]	0	37	7
Havant & Waterlooville	2020–21	National League South	12	0	2	0	—		2 [b]	0	18	0
	2021–22	National League South	36	3	2	0	—		1 [b]	0	39	3
	2022–23	National League South	22	1	1	0	—		1 [b]	0	24	1
	Total		70	4	5	0	—		4	0	79	4
Ebbsfleet United	2022–23	National League South	17	1	0	0	—		0	0	17	1
	2023–24	National League	30	2	0	0	—		0	0	30	2
	Total		47	3	0	0	—		0	0	47	3
Career total			272	18	19	2	4	0	15	0	310	20

1. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
2. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy

Honours

Wealdstone

• National League South Champions: 2019–20 ^[54]

References

1. "Premier League Clubs submit Squad Lists" (PDF). Premier League. 4 February 2014. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
2. "BILLY CLIFFORD". ChelseaFC.com. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
3. "Billy Clifford". ESPN. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
4. "It's the real world at Walsall for Billy Clifford". Express and Star. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
5. "Spartak Moscow 0–2 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 18 October 2010.
6. "Chelsea part company with Jacob Mellis over smoke grenade incident". The Guardian. London. 20 March 2012.
7. "Colchester 1–2 Scunthorpe". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
8. "Chelsea keeper Sam Walker joins Colchester United on loan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
9. "Colchester 1–0 Preston". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
10. "Clifford loan extended". Chelsea F.C. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
11. "U's Loanees Proving A Big Plus". Vital Colchester. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
12. "Colchester 2–0 Yeovil". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
13. "Stevenage 0–2 Colchester". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
14. "Carlisle 0–2 Colchester". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
15. "Yeovil Town sign Michael Ngoo and Billy Clifford on loan". BBC Sport. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
16. "Southend 0–1 Yeovil". BBC Sport. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
17. "Billy goes back to Chelsea". Yeovil Town F.C. 25 August 2013. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
18. "Clifford loaned to Belgian club". Chelsea F.C. 20 January 2014. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
19. "Billy Clifford confirms Chelsea departure". Give Me Sport. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
20. "Billy Clifford: Walsall sign former Chelsea midfielder". BBC Sport. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
21. "Port Vale 1–1 Walsall". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
22. "Walsall confirm Billy Clifford has moved on". Express and Star. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
23. "Allinsob bags hat trick of signings". Boreham Wood F.C. 15 July 2015. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
24. "Billy Clifford signs for Reds". Crawley Town F.C. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
25. "Crawley Town 1-0 Wycombe Wanderers". BBC Sport. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
26. "Doncaster Rovers 1-1 Crawley Town". BBC Sport. 13 August 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
27. "Crawley Town 1-1 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 5 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
28. "NEW CONTRACT OFFERS MADE TO THREE PLAYERS". Crawley Town Official Site. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
29. "Midfielder Returns". Boreham Wood Official Site. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
30. "Hemel Hempstead Town on Twitter". Hemel Hempstead Town Twitter. 18 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
31. Slough bring in Billy Clifford on loan
32. "Billy Clifford signs for Wealdstone!". WealdstoneFC. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
33. "On the Whistle Report – Wealdstone 4-1 Dartford". 3 August 2019.
34. "Braintree Town vs. Wealdstone – 10 August 2019 – Soccerway".
35. "Wealdstone FC are crowned National League South Champions!". wealdstone-fc.com. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2021..
36. Ranson, Jacob (3 July 2020). "Wealdstone retain a number of last season's team as they prepare for National League". Brent & Kilburn Times. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
37. Deacon, Henry (18 August 2020). "Hawks sign Billy Clifford". HWFC. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
38. "Billy Clifford". HWFC. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
39. Miller, Ed (27 January 2023). "Fleet Clinch Clifford From Hawks". EUFC. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
40. Hooper, Charlotte (27 January 2023). "Billy Clifford Departs The Hawks". HWFC. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
41. "BILLY CLIFFORD BECOMES DEAN BRENNAN'S ELEVENTH SIGNING OF THE SUMMER". www.barnetfc.com. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
42. Billy Clifford at Soccerway
43. "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
44. "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
45. "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
46. "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
47. "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2013/2014 for Royal Antwerp". R.A.F.C. Museum. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
48. "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
49. "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
50. "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
51. "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
52. "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
53. "B. Clifford". Soccerway. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
54. "Wealdstone FC are crowned National League South Champions!". wealdstone-fc.com. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2021.

External links

• Billy Clifford at Soccerbase