Samuel Raymond Clucas (born 25 September 1990) is an English 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 ...
who last played 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 ...
.
Clucas started his career as a youth player for
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
where he spent six years, before being released. He studied at
Lincoln College and had a spell at
Nettleham
Nettleham is a large village and civil parish within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, north-east from the city of Lincoln between the A46 and A158.
The population of the civil parish was 3,437 at the 2011 census.
History ...
towards the end of the 2008–09 season, before joining his hometown club
Lincoln City where he stayed until being released in the summer of 2010. After a short spell in Spain he returned to England and rose from League Two to the Premier League with
Hereford United
Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...
,
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ...
,
Chesterfield and
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
; scoring in each division in the process. He joined
Swansea City on 23 August 2017, thus ending his stay with Hull City. Clucas spent the
2017–18 season with the Swans before joining
Stoke City in August 2018.
Early and personal life
Born in
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
, Lincolnshire, Clucas attended
Saint Peter and Saint Paul Catholic High School.
Prior to signing a professional
football contract with
Lincoln City, he worked part-time at a café in a
Debenhams
Debenhams plc was a British department store chain operating in the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1778 as a single store in London and grew to 178 locations across those countries, also owning the Danish ...
department store.
Career
Early career
Clucas started his career with
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
, joining their academy at the age of 10, leaving at the age of 16, after being told he was too short.
Following his release from Leicester City, he had a short spell playing for
Nettleham
Nettleham is a large village and civil parish within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, north-east from the city of Lincoln between the A46 and A158.
The population of the civil parish was 3,437 at the 2011 census.
History ...
in the
Central Midlands Football League
The Central Midlands Football League is an English football league covering the northeast-central part of England. Formed in 1971 as the South Derbyshire League, changing name initially to the Derbyshire League before changing to its current nam ...
at the end of the 2008–09 season.
He then studied sports development qualification at
Lincoln College.
Lincoln City
He was offered a soccer scholarship in the United States, before signing for
Lincoln City at the start of the
2009–10 season after a successful trial period with his hometown club, impressing manager
Peter Jackson, who described him as a ''"real find"''.
Whilst on trial with the club he made an appearance in the
Lincolnshire Senior Cup final defeat to
Scunthorpe United.
He made his professional debut on 1 September for Lincoln City in their 1–0 home defeat to
Darlington in the
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
, before being replaced by
Chris Fagan in the 63rd minute as a
substitute. In late December 2009, manager
Chris Sutton
Christopher Roy Sutton (born 10 March 1973) is an English former professional football player and manager. He later became a pundit and commentator for BT Sport, regularly working on their coverage of Scottish football. He is now also a pundi ...
announced Clucas would be one of three players to be put on the transfer list. In March 2010, a proposed loan move to
Lincoln Moorlands Railway fell through as
Northern Counties East League
The Northern Counties East Football League is a semi-professional English football league. It has two divisions – Premier Division and Division One – which stand at the ninth and tenth levels of the football pyramid respectively.
History
T ...
rules prevented member clubs from signing contracted
Football League players on short-term loans. Clucas was released by Lincoln City in the summer of 2010.
Jerez Industrial
In August 2010, having successfully attended trials at
Bisham Abbey
Bisham Abbey is a Grade I listed manor house at Bisham in the English county of Berkshire. The name is taken from the now lost monastery which once stood alongside. This original Bisham Abbey was previously named Bisham Priory, and was the trad ...
, he was handed a two-year scholarship at the
Glenn Hoddle Academy
The Glenn Hoddle Academy (GHA) was established in 2008, by former England international footballer Glenn Hoddle. Hoddle set the academy up in the memory of his brother, Carl, a former Tottenham Hotspur player who died aged 40.
The academy coach ...
, the move also enabled him to turn out for Spanish
Tercera División
Tercera División ( en, Third Division) was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the '' Segunda División'', and the semi-professional '' Segunda ...
(fourth tier) side
Jerez Industrial. He made 20 appearances for Jerez before returning to England.
Hereford United
Clucas signed for
Hereford United
Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...
in November 2011 after a trial period. Clucas made 18 appearances for Hereford in
2011–12 as they suffered relegation to the
Conference Premier
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-professi ...
. Clucas remained with Hereford for the 2012–13 season where he scored nine goals in 47 appearances as the Bulls finished in 7th position.
[
]
Mansfield Town
On 21 June 2013, Clucas signed a two-year contract with Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ...
for a fee of £20,000 plus a 15% sell-on clause which was decided by a tribunal. He had rejected an offer from Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
and chosen to sign for Mansfield as it was closer to his home in Lincoln. Clucas began his Stags career well with a run of five goals in six games and scoring four in an 8–1 win against St. Albans City in the FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
. He scored a total of 13 goals in 2013–14 helping Mansfield secure a mid-table position of 11th.[ Throughout the summer of 2014 Clucas stated his desire to leave Mansfield and play in League One.
]
Chesterfield
On 1 September 2014, the 2014 summer transfer window deadline day, League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side Chesterfield signed Clucas from rivals Mansfield Town on a three-year deal until June 2017 for an undisclosed fee. Under the management of Paul Cook
Paul Thomas Cook (born 20 July 1956) is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He was also called "Cookie" by his friends on the punk music scene.
Early life and career
Cook was raised in Hammersmith and atte ...
, Clucas played key role in Chesterfield's 2014–15 season, scoring 12 goals in 49 matches as the team reached the League One play-offs where they lost out to Preston North End.
Hull City
On 27 July 2015, Clucas signed a three-year deal with Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
side Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
for an undisclosed fee, thought to be in the region of £1.3 million. Clucas made his competitive debut for Hull against Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
on the first day of the 2015–16 season, scoring the first goal of the game. Clucas played 52 times as the Tigers gained an instant return to the Premier League with a 1–0 win against Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
in the 2016 Football League Championship play-off Final.
On 13 August 2016, Clucas made a Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
debut described as "exceptional" against Leicester City, and four days later Clucas signed a new three-year deal with the club. He scored for Hull in the return game in Leicester in March 2017. It was the fifth successive season in which he scored a goal, in a fifth different division, and in an ascending order—the Football Conference in 2012–13, League Two in 2013–14, League One in 2014–15, Football League Championship in 2015–16, and then the Premier League in 2016–17. Hull were relegated back to the Championship following a 4–0 defeat to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
on 14 May 2017.
Swansea City
On 23 August 2017, Clucas signed a four-year contract with Premier League club Swansea City for an undisclosed fee. Clucas made his Swansea debut in a 2–0 against Crystal Palace on 26 August 2017. He scored three goals for Swansea, all of which came against Arsenal, once in a 2–1 defeat at the Emirates, and twice in a 3–1 win at the Liberty Stadium
The Swansea.com Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Swansea.com; formerly Liberty Stadium) is an all-seated sports stadium and conferencing venue located in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. The stadium opened in 2005 and was named the Liberty Stadium. It ...
in late January. Swansea struggled throughout the 2017–18 campaign with Paul Clement
Paul Drew Clement (born June 24, 1966) is an American lawyer who served as U.S. Solicitor General from 2004 to 2008 and is known for his advocacy before the U.S. Supreme Court. He established his own law firm, Clement & Murphy, in 2022 after le ...
unhappy with player recruitment which left his squad imbalanced. Clement was replaced by Carlos Carvalhal in December 2017 and he stated that he was surprised to learn Clucas had struggled for form at the club. Clucas suffered a knee injury towards the end of the season which required surgery. The Swans were relegated to the Championship after a 2–1 defeat to Stoke on the final day.
Stoke City
Clucas joined Stoke City on 9 August 2018 for a fee of £6 million. Clucas missed the first three months of the 2018–19 campaign due to a slow recovery from knee surgery, eventually making his debut against Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
on 10 November 2018. He scored his first goal for Stoke in a 2–1 win over 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 ...
on 28 November 2018. Clucas played 28 times for Stoke in 2018–19, scoring three goals as Stoke finished in 16th position.[ Clucas came in for heavy criticism from supporters after a needless red card against ]Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
on 9 March 2019.
Clucas scored on the opening day of the 2019–20 season in a 2–1 defeat against Queens Park Rangers. Stoke began the season in poor form, failing to win any of the opening ten matches and were rooted to the bottom of the table by October. Michael O'Neill was brought in as new manager in November and Clucas scored twice in his first game in charge in a 4–2 win at Barnsley with his first goal scored from the half-way line. He scored again against Swansea on 25 January 2020 and in response to abuse from the Swansea support he ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of them. Clucas scored twice in a 5–1 victory over relegation rivals Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
on 7 March 2020. The season was then suspended until June due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. He scored a vital goal against Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...
on 12 July 2020 as Stoke avoided relegation and finished in 15th position. Clucas made 46 appearances in 2019–20 and was top goalscorer with 11.[ Clucas had injury problems during the 2020–21 campaign, making 26 appearances and underwent surgery on a double hernia in February 2021.
Clucas signed a new two-year contract extension with Stoke in July 2021. Clucas had an inconsistent 2021–22 season, struggling with injuries and form which restricted him to 29 appearances of which 18 were starts. Injuries continued to hamper his game time in 2022–23 and he was released at the end of the season.
]
International career
Clucas gained his only cap for England C
The England national football C team (previously known as the England National Game XI and the England Semi-Pro national team) is the football team that represents England at non-league level.
Formed in 1979 as the England Non-League team, it f ...
when he played the full 90 minutes in 6–1 win against Bermuda
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = National song
, song = "Hail to Bermuda"
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, mapsize2 =
, map_caption2 =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name =
, es ...
on 6 June 2013.
Career statistics
Honours
Hull City
* Football League Championship play-offs: 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
References
External links
Profile
at the Stoke City F.C. website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clucas, Sam
1990 births
Living people
Footballers from Lincoln, England
English men's footballers
England men's semi-pro international footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Leicester City F.C. players
Nettleham F.C. players
Lincoln City F.C. players
Jerez Industrial CF players
Hereford United F.C. players
Mansfield Town F.C. players
Chesterfield F.C. players
Hull City A.F.C. players
Swansea City A.F.C. players
Stoke City F.C. players
Tercera División players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Premier League players
English expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
English expatriate sportspeople in Spain