Wayne Clarke (footballer)
Wayne Clarke ( born February 28, 1961 in Willenhall ) is a former English footballer. The striker began as the last of five pro football -playing brothers his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton FC celebrated by winning the British Championship in 1987 the most successful.
Sports career
Wolverhampton Wanderers (1978-1984)
After already four older brothers had chosen the path into the professional football business and Wayne had witnessed at the age of eleven years, the winner of brother Allan for Leeds United in the FA Cup final against Arsenal at Wembley, even the youngest offspring went to the similar paths. At the age of 15 years, Wayne Clarke joined in June 1976, the youth division of Wolverhampton Wanderers and was considered a player selection for the English national team as students great talent. He quickly worked his way into the reserve team high in March 1978 and was the first professional contract with the " Wolves ".
Although he was back in the striker ranking still behind players like Mel Eves, John Richards and Billy Rafferty, coach Sammy Chung enabled him after only two brief appearances league hired by Rafferty against Ipswich Town in September 1978 his debut in the starting lineup. Although the game went against the reigning FA Cup winner with 1:3 lost, but Clarke remained from then on his place and shot against Queens Park Rangers the first Meisterschaftstor. When the Wolves for the new season 1979/80 committed with another striker Andy Gray, is Clarke's prospects appeared to worsen, but with 16 league operations he remained in the extended circle of the team. At 1-0 in the final victory in the League Cup in 1980 against Nottingham Forest he came, however, in spite of a squad nomination is not used. In the following season, 1980/81, as with returnees Norman Bell came up more competition, he was the club continued to receive and evolved regardless of becoming a regular player. The sporty breakthrough was finally in the season 1982/83 after the club was relegated in the previous year to the second division.
In the Second Division Clarke met in twelve league games, was so behind Eve's second top scorer and helped his club to have won the runner-up to return to the English top flight. There, however, the Wolves could not keep up once more, and went on a direct path back into the second division. Clarke then decided to go and hired in August 1984 for a transfer fee of £ 80,000 at local rivals Birmingham City, which had also counted among the Erstligaabsteigern last season.
Birmingham City and Everton FC (1984-1989)
The fact that the move to Birmingham was the right decision, it soon became clear, because while Wolverhampton was passed up the rear of the Second Division in the third division, succeeded the "Blues " an immediate return to the First Division with 17 league goals in the season 1984 / 85 had " top scorer " Clarke definitive interest. In the season 1985/86 he often had to contend with minor injuries and suspensions. He scored only five goals and had at the end for the third time in his young career to accompany a Erstligaabstieg. He remained loyal to his club first and evolved back to the familiar scorer before the speak for the league and with a financial pressure situation battling Birmingham City nachkam a transfer request to Everton FC. Together with the most stormy in the reserve team Stuart Storer Clarke eventually switched to the " Toffees " and made sure that about 300,000 pounds were rinsed in the clammy Checkout the Blues in March 1987. In this context, the club led by former club Wolverhampton Wanderers raised accusations towards Birmingham City's that. Due to the transfer bundling the value of Storer to be too high and thus was prized by Clarke to be too low and thus impaired the existing resale clause of the Wolves
In Everton Clarke, who was ostensibly committed to the temporary replacement for Graeme Sharp met, on his former team-mate Andy Gray and in ten league games get him five goals - including the 1-0 winning goal at Arsenal and all three goals in a 3-0 against Newcastle United. In the end he won with his new club, the English championship and in the subsequent Charity Shield match he scored the goal for 1-0 win over Coventry City. It was the prelude to the most profitable Erstligajahrs in the career of Wayne Clarke, 88 as he succeeded in the season 1987 / ten league goals. The Sustainable thereafter remained but from and for the season 1988/89 marked the end Clarke's end in Everton. In 20 league games he was only twelve times in the starting lineup, and in July 1989 he transferred in exchange for Mike Newell to the second division Leicester City.
Recent career stations (1989-1996)
Clarke's stay in Leicester was of short duration and after not even half a year and the twelve compulsory stakes he returned in January 1990 for £ 500,000 in the first league to Manchester City back and met coach Howard Kendall, of him already to Everton " had piloted ". But even there he was not able to get a regular place, especially since Kendall - as already at Everton - the club shortly after his commitment left the club. Instead, lent him the "Citizens" in the 1990/91 season just twice in the third division of. The first station from October 1990 Shrewsbury Town with six goals in seven league games was particularly highly successful; the second trip in March 1991, Stoke City were at the end of nine league matches and three gates to beech. This was followed in September 1991, a brief return to Wolverhampton, where he was quickly traded as a potential strike partner for Steve Bull. But after only 20 minutes in the first and only game for the Wolves, he suffered a rib injury, even the effect on a lung, and meant that he was recalled early to Manchester. The active career in the major leagues was apparently coming to an end and so he joined in the summer of 1992 free transfer to the fourth division FC Walsall.
Wayne Clarke was by his brothers Derek, Allan and Kelvin already the fourth member of his family, played professional football for the " Saddlers " and with 21 league goals in the 1992/93 season, the new DNA scorer the club into the play- off games. These then went in the semis against Crewe Alexandra clearly lost with 1:5 and 2:3 and the following season 1993/94 Clarke moved to local rivals, league rivals and ex- hire station Shrewsbury Town. With the Wolverhamptoner by former goalkeeper Fred Davies trained " Shrews " won the newcomer in his first year, the fourth division championship and overtook his missed rise of the previous year after. With eleven goals Clarke was behind Dean Spink 's second top scorer and -budgetary As in Walsall penalty taker. In the last professional season 1994/95, Clarke had to fight from November 1994 onwards with a series of minor injuries. While he fired again twelve Goals in official matches, but in the summer of 1995, his expiring contract was not renewed.
Immediately afterwards he took over in the Football Conference, the function of player coach at Telford United and held this post until his resignation in November 1996.
Title / Awards
- English Championship ( 1): 1987
- Charity Shield ( 1): 1987