Norman Clarke (footballer)

Norman Clarke

Personal information
Full name	Norman Samson Clarke[1]
Date of birth	(1942-04-01) 1 April 1942 (age 82)
Place of birth	Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Position(s)	Outside left
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1958–1962	Ballymena United
1962–1966	Sunderland	4	(0)
1966–1969	Ballymena United
International career
1959–1961	Northern Ireland Amateurs	6	(0)
1960–1961	Irish League XI	2
1962–1963	Northern Ireland U23	2
Managerial career
1966–1967	Ballymena United (caretaker)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Norman Samson Clarke (born 1 April 1942) is a Northern Irish retired footballer, best remembered for his two spells as an outside left in the Irish League with Ballymena United.[1][2] He also served the club as caretaker manager during the 1966–67 season.[3] Clarke's Ballymena United spells were bisected by four years with Football League club Sunderland, where an anterior cruciate ligament injury ended his full-time career.[4]

Personal life

Following the end of his second spell with Ballymena United, Clarke returned to Sunderland and worked for an electronics firm.[4] He later moved to London and scouted for Liverpool.[4]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sunderland	1962–63[5]	Second Division	4	0	0	0	1	0	5	0
Career total			4	0	0	0	1	0	5	0

References

1. "Norman Clarke". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
2. "Norman Clarke". nifootball.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
3. "Norman Clarke | Manager Statistics | Ballymena United". Ballymena United Archive. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
4. Little, Ivan. "NI footie star of Sixties laments what money has done to the beautiful game". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
5. "Norman Clarke". Sunderland AFC – Statistics, History and Records – from TheStatCat. Retrieved 31 January 2017.