Isaac Clarke (9 January 1915 – 2 April 2002) was an English
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
and football manager. He is most notable for scoring the goal which won
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
their first League title.
Career
Clarke, called Ike everywhere he went, was born at
Tipton
Tipton is an industrial town in the West Midlands in England with a population of around 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham.
Tipton was once one of the most heavily industrialised towns in the Black Country, w ...
during the First World War on 9 January 1915. He began playing in an amateur Wolverhampton league for Toll End Westley, and then signed as a professional for
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
, then a First Division club, in 1937. Clarke was officially on their books for ten years, but most of that career was lost through the Second World War. By the end of his time there he had played 108 games and scored 39 goals.
As football began again in fits and starts after the War had ended Clarke moved to
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
in November 1947. West Bromwich was in the Second Division by then, and it is recorded that the
Fratton Park faithful initially weren't very impressed that £7,000 had been spent on a striker already in his thirties from a lower division. Clarke was to win them over and become one of the most popular players on the side. He was a big brave center-forward in the classic British tradition, but also had a good footballing brain and some skill, and linked up what was the formidable forward line that Pompey boasted at that time. He stayed at Portsmouth for six years and was an important part of the team that won back-to-back Championships in 1948–49 and 1949–50. It was Clarke's winner in a 2–1 victory against
Bolton Wanderers on 23 April 1949 that clinched the points that took Pompey to their first-ever
First Division title. The following season, Clarke's contribution was greater in Pompey's need to defend the title, he played in 37 games and finished top scorer with 17 goals. Clarke went on to serve Pompey sporadically in the 1950s and in all he clocked up 129 appearances, 116 in the League, and 58 goals, 49 in the League.
In 1953 Clarke gave up playing full-time football at the age of 38 and looked for his first job in management.
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
in the
Southern Football League was advertising for a new manager, The Supporters Club offered to help with the wages of the new appointee, and a tied house was thrown in. On 10 May 1953 Clarke became The Glover's fourth manager since the War.
His first season in charge ended with Yeovil finishing third in the
Southern League and Clarke himself made 48 appearances scoring 20 goals at the age of 36. The next season Clarke took Yeovil to the Southern League and Southern League cup double. Although Clarke had led Yeovil to their most successful season in terms of trophies just four seasons earlier Clarke was relieved of his managerial duties at the end of the 1956–57 season.
After Yeovil Town Clarke moved to Kent. He took over the helm at
Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town in Kent, south-east England, from Canterbury and from London, beside the Roman Watling Street, an ancient British trackway used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons and next to the Swale, a strip of sea separa ...
and won the
Kent League, Kent League Division One Cup,
Kent Senior Cup
The Kent Senior Cup is an English football competition played between senior clubs in the county of Kent. It is administered by the Kent County Football Association.
History
The Kent Badge preceded the Kent Senior Cup, and was won in its three ...
and the Thames & Medway Combination League Championship. He took Sittingbourne into the Southern League Division One in 1959–60 and they missed out on promotion on goal average and the same fate awaited them the following season, again missing out on promotion to the Premier Division on goal average.
He later took charge of
Canterbury City before retiring to
Herne Bay
Herne Bay is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in South East England. It is north of Canterbury and east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury local governmen ...
in Kent, where he lived until his death in April 2002 at the age of 87.
Honours
Player
;
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
*
First Division champion:
1948–49,
1949–50
*
FA Charity Shield champion:
1949 (Shared)
Managerial
;
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
(Player-manager)
*
Southern League champion: 1954–55
*
Southern League Cup champion: 1954–55
*
Somerset Professional Cup champion: 1953–54, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1956–57 (Shared)
;
Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town in Kent, south-east England, from Canterbury and from London, beside the Roman Watling Street, an ancient British trackway used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons and next to the Swale, a strip of sea separa ...
*
Kent League champion: 1957–58, 1958–59
* Kent League Division One Cup: 1957–58
*
Kent Senior Cup
The Kent Senior Cup is an English football competition played between senior clubs in the county of Kent. It is administered by the Kent County Football Association.
History
The Kent Badge preceded the Kent Senior Cup, and was won in its three ...
champion: 1957–58
* Thames & Medway Combination League Championship champion: 1958–59
See also
*
1948–49 Portsmouth F.C. season
*
1949–50 Portsmouth F.C. season
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Ike
1915 births
2002 deaths
Footballers from Tipton
English men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
English Football League players
English football managers
West Bromwich Albion F.C. players
Portsmouth F.C. players
Yeovil Town F.C. players
Yeovil Town F.C. managers
Sittingbourne F.C. managers
Canterbury City F.C. managers
Kent Football League (1894–1959) players