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Brian Clark (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Brian Donald Clark was an English
professional footballer. He is probably most famous for scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory for Cardiff City
against Real Madrid
in the first leg of the European Cup Winners Cup quarter-final in 1971.
player Don Clark
, Brian Clark signed professional terms at the club in March 1960 before making his debut for the club in 1961 during a 3-0 victory over Brentford
on the final day of the season. It was during the 1962–63 season that he established himself in the side, finishing as the clubs top scorer with 23 goals. He continued to score regularly for the side and helped the side gain promotion to Division Two during the 1964–65 season, again finishing as the clubs top scorer with 24 goals. In October 1966 he left Bristol City to sign for Huddersfield Town
in exchange for John Quigley
.
Clark failed to settle at the Yorkshire
club and, after two years, was snapped up by Cardiff City
manager Jimmy Scoular
for £8,000. Scoring twice on his debut during a 4-3 win over Derby County
, he went on to form a lethal partnership with John Toshack
, ending the season with 17 goals and his first Welsh Cup
winners medal. Clark finished as the clubs top scorer for the next two seasons, as well as scoring 5 times in a single match against Barmouth & Dyffryn, falling short of Derek Tapscott
's club record of goals in a game by just one. It was during the 1970–71 season that he achieved probably the high point of his career when he headed in the only goal of the first leg against Real Madrid
in a 1-0 win during the European Cup Winners Cup quarter-final. The following year he again finished as Cardiff's top scorer, the third successive year he had done so, before he and Ian Gibson
were surprisingly sold to Bournemouth
for a combined fee of £100,000.
Clark spent one year at Bournemouth, followed by a spell at Millwall
. On 20 January 1974 at The Den
Millwall hosted Fulham
, in what was the first Football League game ever held on a Sunday. Clark scored the only goal of the game, thereby becoming the first player to score a Football League goal on a Sunday. He soon returned to Ninian Park
to play for Cardiff again. His second spell at the club lasted just a single season but he still managed to help the club win promotion to Division Two. He left the club to sign for Newport County
before finishing his career with a number of player-manager roles at several Welsh Football League
sides.
at Whitchurch Hospital
in Cardiff
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
professional footballer. He is probably most famous for scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory for Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
against Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in the first leg of the European Cup Winners Cup quarter-final in 1971.
Career
The son of former Bristol CityBristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
player Don Clark
Don Clark (footballer)
Donald "Don" Clark was an English professional footballer who played as a centre forward. Born in Bristol, Clark played in the Football League for hometown club Bristol City between 1938 and 1951, scoring 67 goals in 117 games....
, Brian Clark signed professional terms at the club in March 1960 before making his debut for the club in 1961 during a 3-0 victory over Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
on the final day of the season. It was during the 1962–63 season that he established himself in the side, finishing as the clubs top scorer with 23 goals. He continued to score regularly for the side and helped the side gain promotion to Division Two during the 1964–65 season, again finishing as the clubs top scorer with 24 goals. In October 1966 he left Bristol City to sign for Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
in exchange for John Quigley
John Quigley
John B. Quigley is a professor of law at the Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University, where he is the Presidents' Club Professor of Law. In 1995 he was recipient of The Ohio State University Distinguished Scholar Award...
.
Clark failed to settle at the Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
club and, after two years, was snapped up by Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
manager Jimmy Scoular
Jimmy Scoular
James "Jimmy" Scoular was a Scottish football player and manager. Known as a tough, combative player with precise passing skills, Scoular made over 600 appearances in The Football League with Portsmouth, Newcastle United and Bradford Park Avenue, as a player-manager, and attained nine caps for...
for £8,000. Scoring twice on his debut during a 4-3 win over Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, he went on to form a lethal partnership with John Toshack
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
, ending the season with 17 goals and his first Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
winners medal. Clark finished as the clubs top scorer for the next two seasons, as well as scoring 5 times in a single match against Barmouth & Dyffryn, falling short of Derek Tapscott
Derek Tapscott
Derek Robert Tapscott was a Welsh former professional footballer and Wales international.-Early life:Born in Barry, to Florence and Stanley, Tapscott was one of sixteen children. As a child he began attending High Street Junior School in August 1936 where he remained until leaving school at the...
's club record of goals in a game by just one. It was during the 1970–71 season that he achieved probably the high point of his career when he headed in the only goal of the first leg against Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in a 1-0 win during the European Cup Winners Cup quarter-final. The following year he again finished as Cardiff's top scorer, the third successive year he had done so, before he and Ian Gibson
Ian Gibson (footballer born 1943)
Ian Stewart Gibson is a Scottish former professional footballer.-Early career:A Scottish schoolboy international, Gibson began his career at Accrington Stanley, making his league debut at the age of 15, before joining Bradford Park Avenue in 1960...
were surprisingly sold to Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
for a combined fee of £100,000.
Clark spent one year at Bournemouth, followed by a spell at Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
. On 20 January 1974 at The Den
The Den
*Football stadiums:**The Den, formerly known as The New Den and the current home of Millwall FC, located in Bermondsey, London, SE16**The Den , a football stadium once the home of Millwall FC, located in New Cross, London, SE14...
Millwall hosted Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
, in what was the first Football League game ever held on a Sunday. Clark scored the only goal of the game, thereby becoming the first player to score a Football League goal on a Sunday. He soon returned to Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
to play for Cardiff again. His second spell at the club lasted just a single season but he still managed to help the club win promotion to Division Two. He left the club to sign for Newport County
Newport County A.F.C.
Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
before finishing his career with a number of player-manager roles at several Welsh Football League
Welsh Football League
The Welsh Football League is a club football league in Wales. Division One of the Welsh Football League is at Level 2 of the Welsh football league system, immediately below the national Welsh Premier League.The Welsh Football League's history stretches back to 1904 when the competition was first...
sides.
Death
Clark died on 10 August 2010 at the age of 67 from Lewy body dementiaDementia with Lewy bodies
Dementia with Lewy bodies , also known under a variety of other names including Lewy body dementia, diffuse Lewy body disease, cortical Lewy body disease, and senile dementia of Lewy type, is a type of dementia closely allied to both Alzheimers and Parkinson's Diseases...
at Whitchurch Hospital
Whitchurch Hospital
Whitchurch Hospital is a psychiatric hospital in Whitchurch, an area in the north of Cardiff. As well as general psychiatry, services include elderly psychiatry, neuropsychiatry, forensic psychiatry, rehabilitation and addiction services. It is part of the Cardiff and Vale University Health...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
Honours
Cardiff City- Welsh CupWelsh CupThe Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
Winner: 4
-
- 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1975–76
- Welsh CupWelsh CupThe Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
Runner-up: 1
-
- 1971–72
- Football League Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
Runner-up: 1
-
- 1975–76