Darrell Clarke
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| Darrell Clarke | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Darrell Clarke | |
| Date of birth | December 16, 1977 | |
| Place of birth | Mansfield, England | |
| Height | 5'10" (178cm) | |
| Nickname | Trigger | |
| Position | Central Midfield / Winger | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Rochdale A.F.C. | |
| Number | - | |
| Professional clubs* | ||
| Years | Club | Apps (goals) |
| 1995–2001 2001–present 2005 2005 2006–present |
Mansfield Town Hartlepool United Stockport County (loan) Port Vale (loan) Rochdale (loan) |
161 (24) 112 (19) 1 (0) 1 (0) 0 (0) |
|
* Professional club appearances and goals |
||
Darrell Clarke (born 16 December 1977 in Mansfield) is a professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Hartlepool United in League One. As of July 2006 until January 2007, he is on loan to Rochdale.
Darrell Clarke started his career at Mansfield Town when he joined their youth set up at the age of just ten. He made his way through the ranks and was offered a professional contract at the club in 1995. While at Mansfield he became a fan favourite, which was partly due to the fact that he was a home grown talent. He made over 150 league and cup appearances for the club and scored 27 goals. As his contract ran to its end, he attracted the attention of several other clubs and he was offered a contract at Hartlepool United by Chris Turner. Darrel Clarke found it difficult to leave Field Mill but believed that a new move could kick start his career and stop him from becoming stale[1] .
Darrell Clarke signed for Hartlepool in July 2001 on a free transfer, courtesy of the Bosman ruling, but Hartlepool still had to pay £80,000 as he was under 24. He was seen by many as the replacement for Tommy Miller. He made his Pool’s debut against Shrewsbury Town. Darrel Clarke originally failed to cement his place in the starting 11 and found himself in and out of the team, making 26 league starts and 9 substitute appearances. However he still managed to score 7 league goals, including a hat-trick in a 7-1 win over Swansea. The following season was much more successful for Clarke and he played in nearly all of Hartlepool’s matches and added another 7 goals to his tally in Hartlepool’s promotion winning campaign. The arrival of manager Neale Cooper saw Clarke’s opportunities in the first team limited as Eifion Williams was proffered on the right wing. Clarke only started 23 league matches but he still managed to make a further 12 substitute appearances. In the 2004/05 season, Clarke suffered a knee injury that prevented him from taking part in any of Hartlepool’s league games. However, he did make an appearance for Stockport County during a loan spell but this was cut short as Clarke picked up another knee problem. Despite his injuries, the recently appointed Hartlepool manager, Martin Scott decided to offer him a one year deal. At the start of the season Clarke was loaned to Port Vale but returned to Hartlepool after only making a brief appearance as a substitute. Clarke has spent the majority of the season playing for the reserves, although he has forced his way back into the first team and has played three games.
[edit] External links
| Rochdale A.F.C. - Current Squad |
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1 Gilks | 2 Ramsden | 3 Jackson | 4 Cooksey | 5 Doolan | 6 Boardman | 7 Clarke | 8 Jones | 9 Dagnall | 11 Rundle | 12 Goodall | 13 Rigby | 14 Brown | 15 Thompson | 16 Barker | 17 Murray | 18 Stanton | 19 Crooks | 20 Moyo-Modise | 21 Sharp | 22 Goodhind | 24 Warburton | 26 Sako | 27 Mocquet | Manager: Parkin |
