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

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

goalkeeper.

Club career

Clarke's first club was

Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...

, 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 Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

where he served as cover to

Kevin Pressman Kevin Paul Pressman (born 6 November 1967) is an English football coach, former professional goalkeeper, and goalkeeping coach and assistant manager for Gainsborough Trinity. As a player, he made over 500 appearances in both the Premier Leagu ...

. He joined

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...

after they won promotion to the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

in 1999 and helped

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

during a loan spell two years later into the Premier League, playing in the play-off final. His impressive displays for

led to many, including the Bradford supporters, calling for him to receive international selection. In the summer of 2001 Clarke signed for newly promoted

side

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

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.

Honours

Rotherham United *

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...

: 1995–96

References

External links

Profile
Boy from Brazil * 1973 births Living people English men's 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-1970s-stub