Matthew John Clarke (born 3 November 1973 in Sheffield) is an English former

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

goalkeeper.

Club career

Clarke's first club was Rotherham United, where his nickname was Matt the Cat, in reference to his agility. He won the 1996 Football League Trophy with Rotherham. He then signed with Sheffield Wednesday where he served as cover to Kevin Pressman. He joined Bradford City after they won promotion to the Premier League in 1999 and helped

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

two years later into the Premier League, playing in the play-off final. His impressive displays for Bradford City led to many, including the Bradford supporters, calling for him to receive international selection. In the summer of 2001 Clarke signed for newly promoted Premier League side

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

on a one-month loan, which effectively acted as a trial. However, he returned to Bradford after just one week. He later joined Crystal Palace but his career was curtailed by an injury he suffered which caused his premature retirement in 2004.

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Profile
Boy from Brazil * 1973 births Living people English footballers Rotherham United F.C. players Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players Kidderminster Harriers F.C. players Bradford City A.F.C. players Bolton Wanderers F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Premier League players English Football League players Men's association football goalkeepers Fulham F.C. players Footballers from Sheffield {{England-footy-goalkeeper-stub