Jonathan Clark (born 12 November 1958) is a Welsh former
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 ...
. His regular position was as a
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
. He played for in the
English Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...
for
Manchester United,
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
,
Preston North End,
Bury, and
Carlisle United.
Club career
Clark was in Manchester United's youth set-up and made his first-team debut in a First Division match against Sunderland on 10 November 1976 at the age of 17. It was to be his only first-team appearance for the club. He joined Derby County for £50,000 in September 1978, playing with the club in the First and Second Division until 1981.
During his time with Preston North End, he was the club's player of the year for the 1984–85 season.
Management career
The following season he served as the club's caretaker manager
including a spell where the club won five matches in a row. This was a highlight of a
poor season which saw the club only win 11 games and eventually finish 23rd in the Fourth Division and have to seek re-election to the Football League.
International career
He was capped at international schoolboy and played twice for the
Wales national under-21 football team
The Wales national under-21 football team, also known as the Wales U21s, is the national under-21 football team of Wales and is controlled by the Football Association of Wales. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championsh ...
.
Post-playing career
After retiring from football he worked in the pub trade for 25 years
including running the Clarence Hotel in
Blackpool.
References
External links
MUFCInfo.com profile
1958 births
Footballers from Swansea
Welsh men's footballers
Derby County F.C. players
Manchester United F.C. players
Preston North End F.C. players
Bury F.C. players
Carlisle United F.C. players
Living people
Men's association football midfielders
Wales men's under-21 international footballers
Preston North End F.C. managers
Welsh football managers
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