James David McClen (born 13 May 1979) is an English retired

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 lea ...

who

played Played may refer to: * ''Played'' (album), a 1987 album * ''Played'' (film), a 2006 film * ''Played'' (TV series), a 2013 TV series See also * Plaid (disambiguation) * Play (disambiguation) * Player (disambiguation) Player may refer to: ...

as a defender or

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Early life and youth career

McClen attended St. Benet Biscop Catholic High School in

Bedlington Bedlington is a town and former civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 18,470 measured at the 2011 Census. Bedlington is an ancient market town, with a rich history of industry and innovative residents. Located roughly ...

, Northumberland. He honed his footballing skills at the youth academy of

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

at the age of 10 after being spotted whilst playing for Cramlington Juniors.

Playing career

Newcastle United

McClen debuted for Newcastle in 1999 against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

under the management of

Ruud Gullit Ruud Gullit (; born Rudi Dil; 1 September 1962) is a former Dutch Association football, footballer and subsequent manager. Regarded among the greatest footballers of all time, he was also noted for his Utility player#Association football, abili ...

. Gullit offered McClen a long-term deal which was promptly signed. He drifted out of the first-team picture for a few years, only to get a break in the team when injuries took their toll on Newcastle. McClen took his chance, including a goal against

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Peterborough United formed in ...

in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

, going on to make 10 more appearances in the 2001–02 season, including against

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in the FA Cup. McClen's performances that season, in which Newcastle finished 4th, earned him another long-term deal which was promptly signed. However, McClen struggled to retain his place in the first team before eventually being released in 2005 to

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team currently compete in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They have played their ...

Later career

McClen's spell at Carlisle only lasted a few months before he was released. He then went to

Blyth Spartans Blyth Spartans Association Football Club is an association football club based in Blyth, Northumberland. They are currently members of and play at Croft Park. They were founded in September 1899 by Fred Stoker, who was the club's first secre ...

on a short-term basis. He returned to the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

to join

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...

, but he was released due to concerns over his fitness levels. In June 2006 he signed a 12-month contract with

Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team competes in the National League North, the sixth level of the English football league system. Formed in ...

of the

Football Conference The National League of English Football Clubs is a professional Association football, football league in England that consists of 72 teams, divided equally between the National League (division), National League North and National League South ...

. On 3 November 2006, McClen returned to the north-east to play for Bedlington Terriers on loan. McClen was released by Kidderminster in January 2007 and signed for

Hamilton Academical Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, who currently compete in . They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilto ...

until the end of the season. However, he was released in March 2007. In August 2007, McClen joined

Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...

outfit

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

ahead of the 2007–08 season. January 2008 saw McClen join

Newcastle Blue Star Newcastle Blue Star F.C. is a association football, football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was established in 1930 and joined the Wearside League in 1973. In 1978, the club won the FA Vase. They won promotion to the Northern Prem ...

on loan until the end of the season. The move became permanent at the start of the 2008–09 season. After Newcastle Blue Star dissolved, McClean joined Morpeth Town, before a trial with

Thai Premier League The Thai League (, pronounced as ') or Thai League 1 (, pronounced as '), often referred to as T1, is the highest level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai L ...

side Pattaya United F.C. thaileagueonline.com
report about the signing
in January 2010. McClen opted to stay in the north-east as he had a young family.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McClen, Jamie 1979 births Living people Footballers from Cramlington English men's footballers English expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Thailand Men's association football defenders Men's association football midfielders Men's association football utility players Newcastle United F.C. players Motherwell F.C. players Carlisle United F.C. players Blyth Spartans A.F.C. players Shrewsbury Town F.C. players Kidderminster Harriers F.C. players Bedlington Terriers F.C. players Hamilton Academical F.C. players Gateshead F.C. players Newcastle Blue Star F.C. players Premier League players Scottish Premier League players English Football League players National League (English football) players Scottish Football League players Northern Premier League players Northern Football League players Morpeth Town A.F.C. players