Clayton Alexander Fortune (born 10 November 1982) is an English former
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 as a
defender.
Fortune spent the first six years of his career at
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
between 2001 and 2006. He then began two years with
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...
before signing with
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
in the summer of 2008. Between 2005 and 2007, he also enjoyed two lengthy
loan
In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money.
The document evidencing the deb ...
spells with
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...
. He spent the 2009–10 season with
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary district, in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population ...
, before returning to the
English 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 ...
with
Aldershot Town
Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
The club was founded in the spr ...
for the 2010–11 season. After leaving
Clevedon Town
Clevedon Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club representing Clevedon, Somerset, England. Affiliated to the Somerset County FA, they are currently members of the and play at the Hand Stadium in Kenn.
The club's motto 'vigila ...
, he missed a season of football; he joined
Mangotsfield United in June 2012 before switching to
Chippenham Town
Chippenham Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. They are currently members of and play their games at Hardenhuish Park.
History
The club states it was established in 1873, four months later and then making a return to
Clevedon Town
Clevedon Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club representing Clevedon, Somerset, England. Affiliated to the Somerset County FA, they are currently members of the and play at the Hand Stadium in Kenn.
The club's motto 'vigila ...
. He returned to Weston-super-Mare as a player-
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Coac ...
in June 2014, before joining
Hereford
Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
in November 2016. He helped Hereford to win the
Southern League Division One South & West title in 2016–17 and later returned to Mangotsfield United.
Career
Fortune attended
St Bonaventure's
St Bonaventure's is a Roman Catholic boys' secondary school and sixth form in Forest Gate, London, England. The school was founded in 1875.
History
St Bonaventure's was founded as a private Roman Catholic school in 1855, by members of the F ...
in
Forest Gate
Forest Gate is a district of West Ham in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England. It is located northeast of Charing Cross.
The area's name relates to its position adjacent to Wanstead Flats, the southernmost part of Epping Forest. ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. He started his career with
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 ...
, but left for
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
, having never appeared for the former. Signing his first professional
contract
A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
in March 2001, he made his debut on 4 December 2001, replacing
Joe Burnell
Joseph Michael Burnell (born 10 October 1980) is an English former professional footballer. Having represented several clubs in the Football League and Football Conference, most notably Bristol City and Bath City, he moved away from football af ...
82 minutes into a 2–1 win over
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
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 ...
.
He became a first regular for the first time in the
2004–05 season, as City finished one point outside the
play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
.
He had a long-term
loan
In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money.
The document evidencing the deb ...
spell with
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...
from November 2005 to the end of
the season. During this spell he made several
man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...
appearances and scored his first professional goals, netting against
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
and
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
.
Vale
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Martin Foyle
Martin John Foyle (born 2 May 1963) is an English former professional footballer and manager who is the Head of Recruitment at club Carlisle United. In his 20-year playing career, he played 533 League games, scoring 155 goals. As a manager, h ...
planned to buy Fortune in April 2006 and gave the player the club's Young Player of the Year award.
A five-figure fee was agreed with City, however, the deal fell through as he rejected personal terms with the club. He then had trials at both
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
and
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
.
Instead he
transferred to
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...
in August 2006, unwanted at City. By November 2006, he found himself back at
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in the area of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and it has been the home ground of Port Vale Football Club since its opening in 1950. It has a current capacity of 15,695, and was renovated durin ...
, again on loan until the end of
the season.
The
2007–08 season was spent with Orient, however, he missed much of it due to
dislocated shoulder
A dislocated shoulder is a condition in which the head of the humerus is detached from the glenoid fossa. Symptoms include shoulder pain and instability. Complications may include a Bankart lesion, Hill-Sachs lesion, rotator cuff tear, or Injur ...
and was released upon its conclusion, allowing him to sign with
League Two Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
. He spent November 2008 at
Conference
A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
side
Rushden & Diamonds
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Nicknamed "The Diamonds", the club played at Nene Park. The club's main rivals were county neighbours Kettering Town F.C., Ket ...
, making just he once appearances before returning to Darlington. Fortune signed for
Conference South
The National League South, officially Vanarama National League South, is a professional Association football league in England. National League South is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 of the NLS and sixth-highest ti ...
side
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary district, in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population ...
in July 2009.
He made a total of 31 appearances, scoring five goals for the club, who narrowly escaped
relegation
Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
.
In July 2010, Fortune signed a one-year contract with
Aldershot Town
Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
The club was founded in the spr ...
after impressing on trial. He made just three league starts, and was not offered a new contract at the end of the season. He then spent a brief spell with
Southern League club
Clevedon Town
Clevedon Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club representing Clevedon, Somerset, England. Affiliated to the Somerset County FA, they are currently members of the and play at the Hand Stadium in Kenn.
The club's motto 'vigila ...
, who were managed by former Vale teammate
Mickey Bell.
He signed with Southern League side
Mangotsfield United in June 2012, in what was described as a "huge coup for the club". Fortune made his debut for Mangotsfield in a 1–0 home defeat to
Cirencester Town
Cirencester Town Football Club is a football club based in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. Affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA, the club are currently members of the and play at the Corinium Stadium.
History
The club was estab ...
on 18 August. On 3 October, he moved up a division to join
Chippenham Town
Chippenham Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. They are currently members of and play their games at Hardenhuish Park.
History
The club states it was established in 1873, , having impressed against the club in an
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 ...
clash with Mangotsfield. However, he left the club just four weeks later after playing just two games; manager Nathan Rudge said that he "never really got going with us". He returned to Clevedon Town in November 2012.
The "Seasiders" finished 15h in
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
and 17th in
2013–14.
He re-joined former club Weston-super-Mare in June 2014 after manager
Mickey Bell appointed him as player-
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Coac ...
. The "Seagulls" finished 17th in
2014–15 and 16th in
2015–16. He served as
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
at the start of the
2016–17 season. Still, he was released in November 2016 after new manager Scott Bartlett announced his intention to rebuild the playing squad.
In November 2016, he returned to the Southern League Division One South & West to sign with
Hereford
Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
, who were managed by former Bristol City teammate
Peter Beadle
Peter Clifford William James Beadle (born 13 May 1972) is an English football manager and former player who was recently manager of club Yate Town.
A former player, Beadle played as a forward, and he scored some 83 goals in 355 league games, ...
. Despite the "Bulls" winning the
2016–17 title by an 18-point margin, Fortune admitted that he had struggled with injuries throughout the campaign.
He was released in May 2017. He rejoined Mangotsfield United for the
2018–19 and
2019–20 seasons.
Style of play
Fortune is strong with good
heading
Heading can refer to:
* Heading (metalworking), a process which incorporates the extruding and upsetting processes
* Heading (navigation), the direction a person or vehicle is facing, usually similar to its course
** Aircraft heading, the directi ...
ability.
Primarily a central
defender, he can also play at left-back or in midfield.
Personal life
His father, Everton Richards, was an apprentice at
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 ...
.
His cousin is former
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Their home ground is ...
defender
Jonathan Fortune, and his uncle is
Leo Fortune-West
Leopold Paul Osborne Fortune-West (born Leopold Paul Osborne West, 9 April 1971) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played in the Football League for Gillingham, Leyton Orient, Lincoln City, Rotherham Un ...
.
He is a first cousin of rapper
Kano
Kano may refer to:
Places
*Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria
*Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State
** Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries
** Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom betwee ...
.
After leaving the professional game as a player, he worked as a football consultant for agency firm Sports Management International.
Career statistics
Honours
Hereford
*
Southern League Division One South & West:
2016–17
References
External links
*
How to do a 'Clayton Fortune Special'from the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortune, Clayton
1982 births
Living people
Footballers from the London Borough of Newham
People from Forest Gate
People educated at St Bonaventure's Catholic School
Black British sportsmen
English men's footballers
Men's association football defenders
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
Bristol City F.C. players
Port Vale F.C. players
Leyton Orient F.C. players
Darlington F.C. players
Rushden & Diamonds F.C. players
Weston-super-Mare A.F.C. players
Aldershot Town F.C. players
Clevedon Town F.C. players
Mangotsfield United F.C. players
Chippenham Town F.C. players
Hereford F.C. players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Southern Football League players
English football coaches
21st-century English sportsmen
21st-century Black British people