Ciaran Clark

Ciaran Clark (born 26 September 1989) is a professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Newcastle United and the Republic of Ireland national team. Clark is naturally a central defender, but is also able to operate as a central midfielder and at left-back.[4]

Ciaran Clark
Clark warming up for the Republic of Ireland in 2013
Personal information
Full name Ciaran Clark[1]
Date of birth (1989-09-26) 26 September 1989[2]
Place of birth Harrow, London, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[3]
Playing position(s) Defender
Club information
Current team
 Newcastle United
Number 2
Youth career
2000–2009 Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2016 Aston Villa 134 (7)
2016– Newcastle United 79 (10)
National team‡
2005–2006 England U17 6 (0)
2006–2007 England U18 2 (0)
2007–2008 England U19 9 (0)
2009–2010 England U20 2 (1)
2011– Republic of Ireland 34 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:32, 16 February 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19:36, 27 November 2018 (UTC)

Clark captained England at under-18, under-19 and under-20 level, but in October 2010 declared his ambition to play for the Republic of Ireland, the country of his parents' birth.[5] He was called up to the national team a month later for the friendly match against Norway, and made his full debut against Wales on 8 February 2011.[6]

Club career

Aston Villa

Early career

Clark was born in Harrow, London,[2] and grew up in Sandy, Bedfordshire. He came through the Aston Villa youth academy after joining at the age of eleven, and captained the academy U18 team to the 2007–08 Premier Academy League—the academy's maiden league title. He was given a squad number for the 2008–09 season and named on the bench for Villa's 2008–09 UEFA Cup match away at CSKA Moscow, but remained an unused substitute. He captained the reserves to the Premier Reserve League South title and defeated PRL North winners Sunderland in the play-off final to win their first ever Reserve League trophy.[7]

2009–10 season

Clark was included in the squads for the pre-season friendlies and the 2009 Peace Cup.[8] On 30 August 2009, he made his debut in a 2–0 win against Fulham. With Curtis Davies unavailable through injury, the 19-year-old was named in Villa's starting line-up, partnering Carlos Cuéllar in defence.[9] He helped keep a clean sheet and nearly marked his debut with a goal but sent his header inches wide. Garth Crooks of the BBC named the youngster in his team of the week.[10] Although the formidable partnership of new signings James Collins and Richard Dunne limited him to the bench, he was tipped to break into the first team on a regular basis within several years.[11] In November 2009, he signed a contract extension until 2012.[12]

2010–11 season

Clark started in the first two league games of the 2010–11 season: against West Ham United, partnering Richard Dunne and keeping a clean sheet; then against Newcastle United. Clark was also handed a start in Gérard Houllier's first match as new Villa manager, against Blackburn Rovers in the League Cup. He then started the match against local rivals Birmingham City in midfield and continued in the role against Fulham and Blackpool due to the club's injury crisis. On 27 November 2010, Clark scored his first two goals for the club in a 4–2 defeat against Arsenal at home. He scored a 91st-minute equaliser against Chelsea on 2 January 2011 to rescue a point. He also became the only player in Premier League history to be booked in six successive appearances within the same season.[13]

2011–12 season

Clark scored his first FA Cup goal for the club against Bristol Rovers on 29 January 2012, with a solo run, including stepovers and a left-footed strike curled into the bottom corner.

2012–13 season
Clark playing for Aston Villa in 2013

On 25 August 2012, he was sent off against Everton for a professional foul on Nikica Jelavić. On 3 September 2012, he scored his first goal of the season in a 1–1 draw away to Newcastle United. On 8 December 2012, after captaining Villa's youth and reserve sides, Clark was handed the armband for the senior side for the first time in a 0–0 draw at home to Stoke, after Gabriel Agbonlahor who had started the match as captain was replaced by Darren Bent. Three days later, Clark followed up his initial role as captain by performing the role again, this time for the full 90 minutes, in a 4–1 victory in the League Cup away at Norwich which saw Villa qualify for the semi-finals.

2013–14 season

Clark started Aston Villa's first game in their 3–1 away victory at Arsenal. After a dip in his form midway through Aston Villa's season, he was dropped to the bench as Lambert preferred a partnership between Ron Vlaar and fellow academy graduate, Nathan Baker. However, due to injury constantly plaguing Aston Villa's defence, along with consistently poor results, Clark still managed 28 appearances in a season that saw Villa finish 15th on 38 points. He accumulated nine yellow cards throughout the season.

In January 2014 during a training game Clark broke the right leg of his team-mate Libor Kozák.[14] The mishandled injury[15] virtually ended Kozák's Premier League career.[16]

2014–15 season

Aston Villa began the 2014–15 season in good form with Paul Lambert re-introducing Alan Hutton, forming a new look back four of Alan Hutton, Ron Vlaar, Philippe Senderos and Aly Cissokho. When an injury ruled Vlaar out, Nathan Baker came into the back four, with Clark remaining on the bench. After injuries to both Baker and Senderos, Clark was called on along with Jores Okore and formed a solid partnership. Clark scored his first goal of the season from a free-kick curled in by Ashley Westwood in a 2–1 home victory over Leicester.[17]

Newcastle United

On 3 August 2016, Newcastle announced that they had completed the signing of Clark.[18] Having established himself alongside club captain Jamaal Lascelles in central defence, he scored his first goal for the club in a 6–0 win against Queens Park Rangers on 13 September 2016.[19] He went on to add further goals against Brentford and Bristol City while also helping Newcastle concede the joint-lowest number of goals in the division as they returned to the Premier League at the first time of asking. He remained a regular starter for Newcastle in league games for the first half of the following season. However, he was left out of the side for most of the second half of the season with Florian Lejeune and Jamal Lascelles being preferred at central defence. In the 2018–19 season he only managed 8 appearances in the first team in the Premier League; however he still managed to score three goals, against Arsenal, Burnley, and Chelsea respectively.[20]

In November 2019 he said he had previously considered leaving Newcastle United in order to maintain his place in the Irish international set-up.[21]

International career

England

Clark captained the England U19 team through qualification for the 2008 European Championships, playing in five out of the six qualifiers and scoring a goal. He missed out on the tournament through an ankle injury sustained during training.[22][23] After being promoted to the England U20s, he was appointed captain and scored in only his second match, in a friendly against Italy on March 2008.

Republic of Ireland
Clark playing for the Republic of Ireland in 2013

In late September 2010, Football Association of Ireland (FAI) officials approached Clark about switching his allegiance. They sent scout and former Republic of Ireland under-21 manager, Don Givens, to watch him in the match against Blackburn.[24] On 5 October 2010, it was reported that Clark had pledged his international future to the Irish national team as he qualified through his Irish parents. Richard Dunne played a role in convincing him and had spoken to FAI scouts about his eligibility.[25] On 12 November 2010, Clark was named in the Republic of Ireland squad for the friendly against Norway.[26] He then made his debut on 8 February 2011 against Wales at the Aviva Stadium.[27] On 6 February 2013, Clark scored his first goal for the Republic of Ireland, helping them to a 2–0 friendly victory against Poland.[28]

In Republic of Ireland's opening match at Euro 2016 against Sweden, Clark deflected a ball from Zlatan Ibrahimović into his own net to level the scores. Wes Hoolahan had earlier given Ireland the lead but Clark's mishap saw them share the spoils as the match ended 1–1.[29]

In November 2019 he said he had previously considered leaving Newcastle United in order to maintain his place in the Irish international set-up.[21]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 1 May 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Aston Villa 2008–09[30] Premier League 0000000000
2009–10[31] Premier League 1000000010
2010–11[32] Premier League 193313000254
2011–12[33] Premier League 1512110—182
2012–13[34] Premier League 2912040—351
2013–14[35] Premier League 2701000—280
2014–15[36] Premier League 2514000—291
2015–16[37] Premier League 1813120—232
Total 13471531000015910
Newcastle United 2016–17[38] Championship 3430020—363
2017–18[39] Premier League 2022000—222
2018–19[40] 1132010—143
2019-20 1422010—172
Total 79106040—8910
Career total 213172131400024820

    International
    As of match played 6 September 2018[41]
    Appearances and goals by national team and year
    National teamYearAppsGoals
    Republic of Ireland 201120
    201210
    201361
    201420
    201540
    201691
    201760
    201820
    Total322

    International goals
    As of match played 6 September 2018. Republic of Ireland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Clark goal.[41]
    International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
    No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
    1 6 February 2013Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland4 Poland1–02–0Friendly[28]
    2 25 March 2016Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland16  Switzerland1–01–0Friendly[42]

    Honours

    Newcastle United

    See also

    References
    1. "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
    2. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
    3. "Ciaran Clark: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    4. "Ciaran Clark is Villa's 'Mr Versatile'". Express & Star. 4 January 2011.
    5. "Ciaran Clark confirms allegiance to Ireland". GreenScene. 20 October 2010.
    6. "FT: Republic of Ireland 3 Wales 0". Sky Sports. 8 February 2011. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012.
    7. "RESERVES: VILLA 3–1 Sunderland". 21 May 2009. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015.
    8. "Peace Cup squad". Aston Villa F.C. 22 July 2009. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015.
    9. "Aston Villa 2–0 Fulham". BBC Sport. 30 August 2009.
    10. "Garth Crooks' team of the week". BBC Sport. 30 August 2009.
    11. "Future is bright for Aston Villa youngsters, says Gordon Cowans". Birmingham Mail. 13 June 2008.
    12. "Ciaran Clark grateful for deal at Aston Villa". Birmingham Mail. 28 November 2009. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012.
    13. "Twitter / OptaJoe: 6 – The only player in PL history". Twitter. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
    14. "Clark backs Aston Villa team-mate Kozak to come back stronger | Goal.com". www.goal.com.
    15. Lintott, Robert (3 January 2015). "Revealed: Kozak injury woefully mishandled, but he may be back in February". 7500 To Holte.
    16. "Villa's Kozak waiting for deserved second chance". ESPN.com. 10 December 2015.
    17. "Aston Villa 2–1 Leicester". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
    18. "United Complete Clark Capture". Newcastle United. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
    19. "QPR 0–6 Newcastle". BBC Sport. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
    20. "CHAMPIONSHIP". Soccerway. 18 July 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
    21. "Euro 2020 qualifiers: Ciaran Clark considered leaving Newcastle to save Republic career". 14 November 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
    22. "Captain's Pride". The Football Association. 1 April 2009.
    23. "Czechs' rivals aim to be class acts". UEFA. 16 July 2008.
    24. "Republic of Ireland approach Ciaran Clark about switching his England allegiance". Birmingham Mail. 28 September 2010.
    25. "Ciaran Clark pledges international future to Ireland – after ringing endorsement from Richard Dunne". Birmingham Mail. 5 October 2010.
    26. "Ciaran Clark called up the Irish Squad". GreenScene. 12 November 2010.
    27. "Republic of Ireland 3–0 Wales". RTÉ Sport. 8 February 2011. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
    28. "Republic of Ireland 2–0 Poland". BBC Sport. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
    29. Hytner, David (13 June 2016). "Republic of Ireland give up draw to Sweden with Ciaran Clark own goal". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
    30. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    31. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    32. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    33. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    34. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    35. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    36. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    37. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    38. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    39. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    40. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    41. "Clark, Ciaran". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    42. Jackson, Lyle (25 March 2013). "Republic of Ireland 1–0 Switzerland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
    43. Anderson, John, ed. (2017). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2017–2018. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 254–255. ISBN 978-1-4722-3397-4.
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