Matthew Clarke (footballer, born 1996)

Last updated

Matt Clarke
Personal information
Full name Matthew Edward Barkell Clarke [1]
Date of birth (1996-09-22) 22 September 1996 (age 27)
Place of birth Barham, Suffolk, England [2]
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) [3]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Middlesbrough
Number 5
Youth career
2002–2014 Ipswich Town
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2014–2016 Ipswich Town 4 (0)
2015–2016Portsmouth (loan) 29 (1)
2016–2019 Portsmouth 121 (6)
2019–2022 Brighton & Hove Albion 0 (0)
2019–2021Derby County (loan) 77 (1)
2021–2022West Bromwich Albion (loan) 33 (1)
2022– Middlesbrough 17 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:03, 5 December 2023 (UTC)

Matthew Edward Barkell Clarke (born 22 September 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Championship club Middlesbrough.

Contents

Club career

Ipswich Town

Born in Barham, Suffolk, Clarke joined Ipswich Town academy as an U7 and signed a scholarship with the club in the summer of 2013. He was included in the main squad for the pre-season in the following year.

Clarke made his professional debut for the club on 12 August 2014, starting as a left back in a 1–0 Football League Cup away loss against Crawley Town. [4] On 11 September he signed a two-year professional deal with the club. [5]

Portsmouth

In July 2015, Clarke went on a trial at Portsmouth, [6] signing a six-month loan deal with the club on 3 August. [7]

On 2 September 2015, Clarke signed a new two-year contract at Ipswich Town, contracting him to the club until June 2017. His loan deal at Portsmouth was subsequently extended until the end of the season in January 2016.

Clarke signed a permanent three-year deal with Pompey on 1 July 2016, after a swap with Ipswich for Adam Webster was agreed. [8] Despite suffering an injury at the end of the 2015–16 campaign which ruled him out of the opening weeks of the new campaign, [9] he established himself as one of Portsmouth's most reliable performers as they won the 2016–17 League Two title. His partnership with Christian Burgess ensured that Portsmouth conceded the fewest league goals over the course of the season, letting in just 40 goals in 46 matches.

On 14 February 2018, after remaining a regular starter, Clarke extended his contract until 2020. [10]

Clarke was in the winning squad for Portsmouth in the EFL Trophy Final on 31 March 2019. [11]

Brighton & Hove Albion

On 21 June 2019, Clarke's departure from Portsmouth was announced, with the centre-back signing a four-year deal at Brighton & Hove Albion for an undisclosed fee. [12]

Derby County (loans)

On 2 August 2019, Clarke joined Derby County on a season-long loan. [13] Three days later, Clarke made his debut for Derby in their opening game of the season in a 2–1 away win against Huddersfield. [14] He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 win against Hull City on 18 January 2020. [15] He made 37 appearances for Derby during the 2019–20 season, with his performances earning him the Derby County Player of the Year award. [16]

On 26 August, it was revealed that Clarke would return to Derby on a further season-long loan deal for the 2020–21 season. [17] [18] He made 42 appearances in his second season including in the last game as The Rams safety was taken to the wire, ensuring their Championship status after a 3–3 home draw to Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the season. [19] Rotherham's draw with Cardiff City meant Derby were safe with Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday relegated. [20]

West Bromwich Albion (loan)

On 13 July 2021, Clarke signed for West Bromwich Albion on loan for the 2021–22 season. [21] He made his debut on 14 August, starting and playing 84 minutes of the 3–2 home victory over Luton Town. [22] He helped keep a clean sheet four days later, playing the whole match of the 4–0 victory against Sheffield United at The Hawthorns. [23] He was named as the club's Player of the Season for 2021–22, his fourth successive such award across three clubs. [24] [25] [26] [16] On 7 May, on Clarke's final appearance on loan at West Brom he scored his first and only goal for the club with a composed finish slipping the ball under Barnsley goalkeeper Jack Walton, in the 4–0 home victory with The Baggies ending the campaign in 10th place. [27]

Middlesbrough

On 25 August 2022, Clarke joined Championship club Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee. [28]

Career statistics

As of 1 October 2022 [29]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup League Cup OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Ipswich Town 2014–15 Championship 4000100050
Portsmouth (loan) 2015–16 League Two 291202000331
Portsmouth 2016–17 League Two33110002 [lower-alpha 1] 0361
2017–18 League One 42210003 [lower-alpha 1] 1463
2018–19 League One46350108 [lower-alpha 2] 1604
Total150790301321759
Brighton & Hove Albion 2019–20 Premier League
2020–21 Premier League
2021–22 Premier League
2022–23 Premier League00000000
Total0000000000
Derby County (loan) 2019–20 Championship3511010371
2020–21 Championship4200020440
Total771103000811
West Bromwich Albion (loan) 2021–22 Championship3310000331
Middlesbrough 2022–23 Championship60000060
Career total26791007013229711
  1. 1 2 Appearances in EFL Trophy
  2. Six appearances and one goal in EFL Trophy, two appearances in EFL League One Play-offs

Honours

Portsmouth

Individual

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