Nathan Clarke
Nathan Clarke ( born November 30, 1983 in Halifax ) is an English footballer. His younger brother Tom is also a professional football player.
Career
The defender started his career in the youth academy at Huddersfield Town. After he signed his first professional contract in August 2001, Clarke made his debut on September 8 in the away game at Stoke City for the Terriers. A week later the defender managed in the home game against Blackpool FC its first score. In the 18th minute he scored the opening goal for Huddersfield 1-0, but the game ended with a 2:4 defeat. Here Brett Ormerod scored three goals for Blackpool. In his debut season, he made mostly with Gareth Evans, the central defensive duo. End of the season 2001/ 02 he reached with the club to sixth place in the Football League Second Division and thus qualified for the play-offs. After the home game against Brentford FC ended goalless, the team lost the return match with 1:2 and missed the possible ascent.
Clarke missed the start of the following season due to a knee injury and had to undergo an operation. In November 2002 he was in a friendly match against Newcastle United comeback when he played through the entire game. After he had graduated to the end of the season only three games for Huddersfield Town, the defender again succeeded in the 2003 /04 made it into the starting eleven. Together with David Mirfin, Anthony Lloyd and Efetobore Sodje he made the back four of the Terriers. Head Coach Peter Jackson tried in sequence, Clarke to move to renew his expiring contract that he finally extended in December 2003 to the end of June 2005. By now the fourth-rate Football League Third Division club relegated, he sat down as the season progresses to the upper echelons firmly. On 13 December 2003 he was expelled for a challenge of the field in the away game against Macclesfield Town, the game ended in a 4-0 victory for Macclesfield.
At season's end, the team finally secured promotion to the next higher league. By the ninth place in the 2004/05 season reaching Clarke missed with the team a place in the play-offs only just. The following year, qualifying for the play-offs, where Huddersfield Town met in the semifinals of the Barnsley FC and narrowly lost in two games managed. After the rise was missed in the Football League Championship, the team placed in the season 2006/ 07 instead on a secure midfielder rank. In the following season Clarke counted together with Malvin Kamara, Frank Sinclair, Joe Skarz and Robbie Williams to the service providers on the defensive for the Terriers. The following two years ended with rankings in the top half of the table, to participate in the play-offs but it was not enough.
In February 2009, Clarke agreed with the club on an early contract extension and signed a fixed-term contract until end of June 2012. Previously, he succeeded since he took office to complete all the games under the three months earlier neuverpflichteten head coach Lee Clarke. In the 2009/10 season, the defensive line with Lee Peltier and Peter Clarke has been strengthened, the repressed Nathan Clarke in the sequence from the starting eleven. End of the season the collection was achieved in the play-offs, where the team lost in two games against FC Millwall. In July 2010, the defender moved to an injury that puts him out of action for around ten weeks.