Ciaran Clark

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 (age 35)[2]
Place of birth	Harrow, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[3]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Youth career
2000–2009	Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2016	Aston Villa	134	(7)
2016–2023	Newcastle United	114	(11)
2022–2023	→ Sheffield United (loan)	10	(2)
2023–2024	Stoke City	3	(0)
International career
2005–2006	England U17	6	(0)
2006–2007	England U18	2	(0)
2007–2008	England U19	9	(0)
2009–2010	England U20	2	(1)
2011–2019	Republic of Ireland	36	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:22, 9 December 2023 (UTC)

Ciaran Clark (born 26 September 1989) is a professional footballer who plays primarily as a centre-back, though he can also play as a central midfielder or left-back.^[4] Clark is a product of the Aston Villa Academy and made 159 appearances for their senior side before transferring to Newcastle in 2016. Born in England, he has represented the Republic of Ireland national team.

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 June 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][non-primary source needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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

Clark playing for Newcastle United in 2021

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 Jamaal 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]

On 20 January 2021, Clark extended his contract with Newcastle, signing a new two-and-a-half-year contract.^[22] On 30 November 2021, Clark was sent off after just nine minutes in a home game against Norwich.^[23]

Loan to Sheffield United

On 13 July 2022, Clark joined Championship club Sheffield United on loan for the 2022–23 season.^[24] He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win over Coventry City on 26 December 2022.^[25]

Stoke City

Following his release by Newcastle, Clark joined Stoke City on 10 October 2023 on a deal until the end of the 2023–24 season.^[26] Clark made three appearances for Stoke of which all came in the final three games under Alex Neil which all were lost.^[27] Clark was not selected by new manager Steven Schumacher and left the club at the end of the season.^[28]

International career

England

Clark captained the England U19 team through qualification for the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, 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.^[29][30] After being promoted to the England U20s, he was appointed captain and scored in only his second match, in a friendly against Italy in March 2008.

Republic of Ireland

Clark warming up 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.^[31] 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. Club teammate Richard Dunne played a role in convincing him and had spoken to FAI scouts about his eligibility.^[32] On 12 November 2010, Clark was named in the Republic of Ireland squad for the friendly against Norway.^[33] He then made his debut on 8 February 2011 against Wales at the Aviva Stadium.^[34] On 6 February 2013, Clark scored his first goal for the Republic of Ireland, helping them to a 2–0 friendly victory against Poland.^[35]

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.^[36]

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 9 December 2023

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Aston Villa	2008–09[37]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2009–10[38]	Premier League	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2010–11[39]	Premier League	19	3	3	1	3	0	0	0	25	4
	2011–12[40]	Premier League	15	1	2	1	1	0	—		18	2
	2012–13[41]	Premier League	29	1	2	0	4	0	—		35	1
	2013–14[42]	Premier League	27	0	1	0	0	0	—		28	0
	2014–15[43]	Premier League	25	1	4	0	0	0	—		29	1
	2015–16[44]	Premier League	18	1	3	1	2	0	—		23	2
	Total		134	7	15	3	10	0	0	0	159	10
Newcastle United	2016–17[45]	Championship	34	3	0	0	2	0	—		36	3
	2017–18[46]	Premier League	20	2	2	0	0	0	—		22	2
	2018–19[47]	Premier League	11	3	2	0	1	0	—		14	3
	2019–20[48]	Premier League	14	2	2	0	1	0	—		17	2
	2020–21[49]	Premier League	22	1	1	0	3	0	—		26	1
	2021–22[50]	Premier League	13	0	0	0	1	0	—		14	0
	Total		114	11	7	0	8	0	—		129	11
Sheffield United (loan)	2022–23[51]	Championship	10	2	0	0	1	0	—		11	2
Stoke City	2023–24[27]	Championship	3	0	0	0	0	0	—		3	0
Career total			261	20	22	3	19	0	0	0	302	23

International

As of match played 18 November 2019^[52]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Republic of Ireland	2011	2	0
	2012	1	0
	2013	6	1
	2014	2	0
	2015	4	0
	2016	9	1
	2017	6	0
	2018	2	0
	2019	2	0
Total		34	2

As of match played 18 November 2019. Republic of Ireland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Clark goal.^[52]

List of international goals scored by Ciaran Clark

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	6 February 2013	Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland	4	Poland	1–0	2–0	Friendly	[35]
2	25 March 2016	Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland	16	Switzerland	1–0	1–0	Friendly	[53]

Honours

Newcastle United

• EFL Championship: 2016–17^[54]

Republic of Ireland

• Nations Cup: 2011^[55]

Individual

• Newcastle United Player of the Year: 2016–17^[56]

See also

• List of Republic of Ireland international footballers born outside the Republic of Ireland

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. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 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". BBC Sport. 14 November 2019.
22. "Ciaran Clark signs new contract at St. James' Park". Newcastle United FC. 20 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
23. Spellman, Damian (30 November 2021). "Ciaran Clark sent off as Teemu Pukki earns Norwich a point against 10-man Newcastle". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
24. "Ciaran Clark signs season-long loan deal with Sheffield United". nufc.co.uk. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
25. "Sheffield United 3–1 Coventry". BBC. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
26. "Ciaran Clark: Stoke City sign free-agent former Newcastle United centre-back". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
27. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
28. "Potters issue contracts update". Stoke City. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
29. "Captain's Pride". The Football Association. 1 April 2009.
30. "Czechs' rivals aim to be class acts". UEFA. 16 July 2008.
31. "Republic of Ireland approach Ciaran Clark about switching his England allegiance". Birmingham Mail. 28 September 2010.
32. "Ciaran Clark pledges international future to Ireland – after ringing endorsement from Richard Dunne". Birmingham Mail. 5 October 2010.
33. "Ciaran Clark called up the Irish Squad". GreenScene. 12 November 2010. Archived from the original on 15 November 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
34. "Republic of Ireland 3–0 Wales". RTÉ Sport. 8 February 2011. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
35. "Republic of Ireland 2–0 Poland". BBC Sport. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
36. Hytner, David (13 June 2016). "Republic of Ireland give up draw to Sweden with Ciaran Clark own goal". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
37. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
38. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
39. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
40. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
41. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
42. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
43. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
44. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
45. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
46. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
47. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
48. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
49. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
50. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
51. "Games played by Ciaran Clark in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
52. "Clark, Ciaran". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
53. Jackson, Lyle (25 March 2013). "Republic of Ireland 1–0 Switzerland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
54. Anderson, John, ed. (2017). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2017–2018. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 254–255. ISBN 978-1-4722-3397-4.
55. "Robbie Keane earns Ireland deciding win over Scotland in Nations Cup". Guardian. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
56. Rory Mitchinson (16 May 2022). "Joelinton scoops Newcastle United Player of the Year award". Newcastle United F.C. Retrieved 19 October 2023.

External links

• Ciaran Clark at Soccerbase