Robert Clare (born 28 February 1983) is an English former professional

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 le ...

who played as a defender.

Playing career

Clare was born in

Belper Belper is a town and civil parish in the local government district of Amber Valley in Derbyshire, England, located about north of Derby on the River Derwent. As well as Belper itself, the parish also includes the village of Milford and the ha ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. He began his career at

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...

, where he had progressed through the Centre of Excellence youth system, making his debut as a substitute in a 4–1 defeat at

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 ...

. He spent one season at

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

, before re-joining Stockport. In August 2004, Clare received a call-up to the England Under-21 squad for their friendly against Ukraine. He was an unused substitute. He played twice for the England under 20 team. During the 2006–07 season, Clare was part of the Stockport County side that set a record for winning nine games in a row without conceding. He was notable for playing every minute of that nine-game run.

Post-playing career

In June 2008, Clare was released from his contract with Stockport County after an injury-plagued year. Injury forced Clare to retire prematurely at the age of 25. He pursued referee and coaching qualifications. He is married and has four children.

References

External links

* *
Profile at stockportcounty.co.uk
1983 births Living people People from Belper Footballers from Derbyshire English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Stockport County F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players {{England-footy-defender-1980s-stub