Mitch Clark (footballer, born 1999)

Mitch Clark

Clark with Port Vale in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Mitchell Reece Clark [1]
Date of birth	(1999-03-13) 13 March 1999 (age 25) [2]
Place of birth	Nuneaton, England [3]
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) [4]
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Port Vale
Number	7
Youth career
2006–2017	Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–2019	Aston Villa	0	(0)
2018–2019	→ Port Vale (loan)	40	(0)
2019–2021	Leicester City	0	(0)
2020	→ Port Vale (loan)	4	(0)
2020	→ Port Vale (loan)	11	(1)
2021–2023	Accrington Stanley	65	(1)
2023–	Port Vale	12	(0)
International career
2015–2016	Wales U17	6	(0)
2016–2017	Wales U19	8	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:56, 17 March 2024 (UTC)

Mitchell Reece Clark (born 13 March 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League One club Port Vale. He has represented Wales at youth level.

A graduate of the Academy at Aston Villa, he spent the 2018–19 season on loan at Port Vale. He joined Leicester City in July 2019 following his release from Aston Villa. He returned on loan to Port Vale for the second half of the 2019–20 season and first half of the 2020–21 season. He signed with Accrington Stanley in August 2021, where he would remain for two seasons, before joining Port Vale permanently in July 2023.

Club career

Aston Villa

Clark graduated through the Academy at Aston Villa, having been scouted by the club playing for Bedworth Eagles juniors at the age of eight. ^[5] He made his first-team debut for the "Villans" in the EFL Cup on 22 August 2017, starting the match at left-back in a 4–1 victory over Wigan Athletic at Villa Park. ^[6] Manager Steve Bruce said that "he had a very good debut considering that he’s played out of position". ^[7] He was a part of the under-23 squad that finished as runners-up of the Premier League 2 Division Two and won the Premier League Cup during the 2017–18 season. ^[3] He signed a new contract in March 2018 to keep him at the club until 2019. ^{[8] [9]}

On 16 August 2018, Clark joined League Two club Port Vale on loan for the rest of the 2018–19 season. ^[10] Manager Neil Aspin signed him to provide cover at full-back for James Gibbons and Cristian Montaño, after football adviser John Rudge had scouted him playing for the Aston Villa under-23 side. ^[11] He made his English Football League debut two days later, starting at left-back for the "Valiants" in a 1–0 win over Crawley Town at Vale Park. ^[12] He retained his first-team place as the "Valiants" went on a run of poor run of results, though Clark was noted as being one of their better performers. ^[13] He made a costly mistake to give away a goal during the opening minute of a 2–0 defeat at Grimsby Town on 6 October, but recovered from his mistake and kept his place in the team. ^[14] He remained a key first-team player under new manager John Askey and played a total of 45 games throughout the 2018–19 season, mainly at right-back, where he linked up well with right-sided midfielder David Worrall. ^[15] On 3 May, upon returning from his loan spell, Clark was released by Aston Villa manager Dean Smith; his agent claimed there was interest from numerous clubs and said that "I believe that I can take him on to bigger and better things than what he's doing at Port Vale." ^[16] He went on to change agents the following year, signing with Sports Management International. ^[17]

Leicester City

On 26 July 2019, Clark signed a three-year deal with Premier League club Leicester City and was placed in Steve Beaglehole's under-23 squad. ^[18] On 30 January 2020, Clark rejoined Port Vale on loan until the end of the 2019–20 season. ^[19] He made an impressive second debut two days later, forcing an own goal with a dangerous cross in a 1–1 home draw with Salford City. ^[20] However, he received a straight red card for a reckless late challenge during a 3–2 win at Forest Green Rovers on 11 February. ^[21] His second loan spell was ended on just four appearances as the league was ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England. ^[22]

Clark was nominated for the Professional Development League Player of the Month award for September 2020. ^[23] On 9 October, he joined Port Vale for a third loan spell after James Gibbons picked up a long-term injury. ^[24] He scored his first goal in professional football on 24 October, in a 2–1 win at Oldham Athletic. ^[25] He made 12 appearances in the first half of the 2020–21 season, though did not feature in December due to "personal reasons" and Askey confirmed that Port Vale would not try to extend the loan deal. ^{[26] [27]} Clark had a trial with Blackpool in July 2021. ^[28]

Accrington Stanley

On 26 August 2021, Clark signed a two-year deal with League One side Accrington Stanley. ^[29] He scored Stanley's equalising goal in the 1–1 draw with Sunderland at the Crown Ground on 15 January. ^[30] On 26 February, he was sent off in stoppage-time of a 3–2 home win over Wycombe Wanderers for a late challenge on Dominic Gape. ^[31] Manager John Coleman said that it was "a debatable red card" and that "I feel for Mitch as he will miss three games and he has been our best player over the last couple of months". ^[32] Clark made 27 appearances in the 2021–22 campaign as Accrington posted a 12th-place finish. ^[33] He played 49 games in the 2022–23 season as Accrington were relegated in 21st-place. ^[34] In May 2023, he was charged by The Football Association after allegedly breaching betting rules by pacing 312 bets on football matches between 8 February 2022 and 10 March 2023; ^{[35] [36]} he was later given a suspended three-month ban and a fine of £600. ^[37] On 20 May 2023, it was announced Clark will be leaving the club when his contract ends on 30 June. ^[38]

Clark playing on from a head injury for Port Vale in October 2023

Port Vale

On 2 July 2023, Clark returned for a fourth spell at Port Vale, this time signing a two-year contract after what director of football David Flitcroft described as "lengthy negotiations". ^{[39] [40]} However, on 24 October he suffered a meniscus tear during a 1–0 defeat at Peterborough United and manager Andy Crosby revealed that he was ruled out of action until the following March after surgery showed that the meniscus was in a really poor condition. ^[41] He made his return in a 3–0 defeat at Derby County on 2 March when he came on as a substitute for James Plant, who had himself not featured since October due to injury. ^[42] However, later that month he sustained a muscle injury in training which ruled him out of action for the rest of the 2023–24 season. ^[43]

International career

Clark represented the Wales under-17 team and went on to be named as captain of the under-19 side by manager Paul Bodin. ^[5]

Style of play

Clark is primarily a right-back but is also able to play as a right-sided centre-back or at left-back. ^[5] He is a pacey player with high energy levels who likes to get forward and attack. ^[5]

Career statistics

As of match played 16 March 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Aston Villa	2017–18 [44]	Championship	0	0	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
	2018–19 [45]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Aston Villa total		0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
Port Vale (loan)	2018–19 [45]	League Two	40	0	1	0	0	0	4 [lower-alpha 1]	0	45	0
Leicester City U21	2019–20 [46]	–	0	0	0	0	0	0	5 [lower-alpha 1]	0	5	0
	2020–21 [47]	–	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Leicester City U21 total		0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	5	0
Port Vale (loan)	2019–20 [46]	League Two	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	2020–21 [47]	League Two	11	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	12	1
Accrington Stanley	2021–22 [33]	League One	25	1	0	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	27	1
	2022–23 [34]	League One	40	0	2	0	1	0	6 [lower-alpha 1]	0	49	0
	Accrington Stanley total		65	1	2	0	1	0	8	0	76	1
Port Vale	2023–24 [48]	League One	12	0	0	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	14	0
	Port Vale total		67	1	2	0	0	0	2	0	75	1
Career total			132	2	4	0	2	0	19	0	157	2

1. Appearance/s in the EFL Trophy

Honours

Aston Villa Academy

• Premier League 2 Division Two: 2017–18 ^[3]
• Premier League Cup: 2017–18 ^[3]

References

1. "Premier League clubs publish 2019/20 retained lists". Premier League. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
2. "Mitchell Clark". 11v11. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
3. Mitch Clark at Soccerway
4. "FootballSquads - Port Vale - 2018/2019". www.footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
5. Turner, Andy (13 November 2017). "Mitch Clark's rise to Villa's senior squad: The story so far". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
6. "Aston Villa 4-1 Wigan Athletic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
7. Evans, Gregg (25 August 2017). "Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce on what he likes about Mitch Clark". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
8. "Mitchell Clark signs Aston Villa deal, sends a message on Twitter | Sportslens". Sportslens.com. 17 March 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
9. "Mitch Clark agrees new deal". www.avfc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
10. "Mitchell Clark: Aston Villa loan Wales Under-19 defender to Port Vale". BBC Sport . 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
11. Baggaley, Michael (16 August 2018). "Port Vale sign Aston Villa defender Mitchell Clark on loan". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
12. Baggaley, Michael (19 August 2018). "Port Vale's Aston Villa loan defender Mitchell Clark relishing his chance". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
13. Baggaley, Michael (3 September 2018). "Aston Villa defender Mitch Clark thriving at Port Vale". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
14. Baggaley, Michael (11 October 2018). "Clark on Port Vale and hoping to be in new Aston Villa boss's long-term plans". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
15. Sherwin, Phil (19 May 2019). "From local heroes who impressed to lost boys: Port Vale class of 2018/19 rated". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
16. Dicken, Alex (3 May 2019). "Revealed: Aston Villa have released this popular defender". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
17. "SMI World · Players". smiworld.co.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
18. Kemble, Jamie (26 July 2019). "Leicester City sign Mitch Clark after Aston Villa release". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
19. "Mitchell Clark: Leicester City loan defender to Port Vale". BBC Sport. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
20. Baggaley, Michael (2 February 2020). "'I believe in our players' - Askey on Clark and Port Vale's transfer business". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
21. Baggaley, Michael (12 February 2020). "FA reveal bans for Port Vale's Mitch Clark and Tom Pope". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
22. Baggaley, Michael (15 May 2020). "Port Vale give up promotion hopes to try to avert League Two financial crisis". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
23. Baggaley, Michael (9 October 2020). "He's back! Port Vale sign Mitch Clark from Leicester City". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
24. "Mitch Clark: Port Vale re-sign Leicester City defender on loan". BBC. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
25. Baggaley, Michael (25 October 2020). "What we learned from Port Vale's 2-1 win at Oldham". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
26. Baggaley, Michael (18 December 2020). "Port Vale press conference: Mitch Clark likely to return to Leicester City". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
27. Baggaley, Michael (30 December 2020). "Port Vale boss on Mitch Clark's return to Leicester City". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
28. "Neil Critchley delivers his verdict on Blackpool's friendly win against Carlisle and provides details on trialist right-back". Blackpool Gazette. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
29. "SIGNING: Defender Clark agrees a two-year deal". Accrington Stanley. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
30. "Accrington Stanley 1-1 Sunderland". BBC Sport. 15 January 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
31. "Accrington Stanley 3-2 Wycombe Wanderers". BBC Sport. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
32. Barnes, Dan (26 February 2022). "Stanley boss John Coleman gives verdict on Wycombe victory". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
33. "Games played by Mitch Clark in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
34. "Games played by Mitch Clark in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
35. "Reds defender Mitch Clark charged with alleged betting breaches". Lancashire Telegraph. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
36. "Accrington's Clark charged with betting rule breach". BBC Sport. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
37. "Suspended ban for Vale's Clark after bets breach". BBC Sport. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
38. "UPDATE: Retained list". Accrington Stanley. 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
39. Townley, Dan (2 July 2023). "Mitch Clark Joins The Valiants". Port Vale F.C. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
40. "Port Vale sign ex-Accrington defender Clark". BBC Sport. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
41. Baggaley, Mike (12 November 2023). "Old failings return as Port Vale are held at Lincoln City". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
42. Baggaley, Mike (3 March 2024). "Vale's problems grow with comprehensive Derby defeat". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
43. Baggaley, Mike (28 March 2024). "Press conference analysis as Port Vale target Bristol Rovers and survival". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
44. "Games played by Mitch Clark in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
45. "Games played by Mitch Clark in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
46. "Games played by Mitch Clark in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
47. "Games played by Mitch Clark in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
48. "Games played by Mitch Clark in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2020.