Robert Clare (born 28 February 1983) is an English former professional

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.

Playing career

Clare was born in

Belper Belper () is a town and civil parish in the local government district of Amber Valley in Derbyshire, England, located about north of Derby on the River Derwent. Along with Belper, the parish includes the village of Milford and the hamlets ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

. He began his career at Stockport County, where he had progressed through the Centre of Excellence youth system, making his debut as a substitute in a 4–1 defeat at

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 ...

. He spent one season at

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 ...

, before re-joining Stockport. In August 2004, Clare received a call-up to the England Under-21 squad for their friendly against Ukraine. He was an unused substitute. He played twice for the England under 20 team. During the 2006–07 season, Clare was part of the Stockport County side that set a record for winning nine games in a row without conceding. He was notable for playing every minute of that nine-game run.

Post-playing career

In June 2008, Clare was released from his contract with Stockport County after an injury-plagued year. Injury forced Clare to retire prematurely at the age of 25. He pursued referee and coaching qualifications. He is married and has four children.

References

External links

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Profile at stockportcounty.co.uk
1983 births Living people Footballers from Belper English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Stockport County F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players English Football League players 21st-century English sportsmen {{England-footy-defender-1980s-stub