John Clarke (footballer, born 2004)

Last updated

John Clarke
Personal information
Full name John Robert Clarke [1]
Date of birth (2004-04-24) 24 April 2004 (age 21) [2]
Place of birth Manchester, England
Position(s) Left-back
Team information
Current team
 Reading
Number 23
Youth career
Stockport Town
2021–2022 Port Vale
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022– Reading 3 (0)
International career‡
2022 Republic of Ireland U19 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:45, 1 December 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14:57, 28 September 2022 (UTC)

John Robert Clarke (born 24 April 2004) is an Irish footballer who plays as a left-back for EFL League One club Reading.

Contents

Club career

Clarke joined Port Vale's youth team from Stockport Town in 2021. [3] On 22 June 2022, Reading signed Clarke to join their under-23 team. [4] After impressing during the 2022–23 pre-season, Clarke made his debut for Reading on 6 August, coming on as a late substitute for Junior Hoilett in their 2–1 victory over Cardiff City at the Madejski Stadium. [5] However, manager Paul Ince confirmed that Clarke missed the rest of the season after sustaining a knee ligament injury in December. [6] He signed a new contract in July 2023. [7] He returned to fitness in December 2023. [8] On 23 May 2024, Reading announced they had extended their contract with Clarke for another season. [9]

International career

Clarke was called up to the Republic of Ireland under-19 team for the first time in August 2022 for a three-day training camp. [10] He made his debut for the U19 team on 24 September 2022, in a 2–0 win over Wales U19 in a 2023 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifier. [11]

Style of play

Clarke is an attacking left-back. [3]

Career statistics

As of match played 20 August 2022
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational CupLeague CupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Reading 2022–23 [12] EFL Championship 300010–40
2023–24 [13] EFL League One 0000000000
2024–25 [13] EFL League One0000000000
2025–26 [14] EFL League One0000000000
Total0000000000
Career total3000100040

    References

    1. ↑ "EFL - Squad List 2024/25" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
    2. ↑ John Clarke at Soccerway
    3. 1 2 Baggaley, Michael (28 June 2021). "New signings join hopefuls in Billy Paynter's Port Vale under-18s". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
    4. ↑ Earnshaw, James (22 June 2022). "New faces and old sign on for another season with Reading FC Academy". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
    5. ↑ Allen, Olly (6 August 2022). "Reading 2-1 Cardiff City: Player Ratings". The Tilehurst End. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
    6. ↑ Earnshaw, James (23 December 2022). "Reading defender out for the season after damaging knee ligaments". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
    7. ↑ "Professional contracts signed by nine young players". Reading FC. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
    8. ↑ Earnshaw, James (20 December 2023). "Reading defender makes injury comeback after over 400 days in Middlesbrough draw". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
    9. ↑ "ACADEMY RETAINED LIST CONFIRMED". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
    10. ↑ @TalkReading (1 August 2022). "John Clarke has been called up to the Ireland U19 squad for a three-day training camp this week 🇮🇪 #readingfc" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    11. ↑ "REPORT | MU19 | Ireland qualify for Elite Phase with Wales win | Football Association of Ireland". fai.ie. 24 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
    12. ↑ "Games played by John Clarke in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
    13. 1 2 "Games played by John Clarke in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
    14. ↑ "Games played by John Clarke in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.


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