Billy Clifford (footballer)
![]() Clifford warming-up for Chelsea in 2010 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Billy Clifford[1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | 18 October 1992||
Place of birth | Slough, England | ||
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[3] | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Wealdstone | ||
Youth career | |||
1999–2010 | Chelsea | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2010–2014 | Chelsea | 0 | (0) |
2013 | → Colchester United (loan) | 18 | (1) |
2013 | → Yeovil Town (loan) | 0 | (0) |
2014 | → Royal Antwerp (loan) | 4 | (0) |
2014–2015 | Walsall | 13 | (0) |
2015–2016 | Boreham Wood | 21 | (1) |
2016–2018 | Crawley Town | 43 | (1) |
2018 | Boreham Wood | 0 | (0) |
2018 | Hemel Hempstead Town | 7 | (1) |
2018– 2019 | Billericay Town | 11 | (0) |
2019 | → Slough Town (loan) | 8 | (1) |
2019– | Wealdstone | 31 | (3) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10:54, 25 January 2020 (UTC) |
Billy Clifford (born 18 October 1992) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Wealdstone. He played in the Football League for Colchester United, Walsall and Crawley Town and in the Belgian Second Division for Royal Antwerp.
Club career
Chelsea
Born in Slough, Clifford came through the Chelsea academy, having signed with them at the age of 8.[4] He turned professional in 2010. He played in Chelsea's pre-season friendly away to Ajax, and on 18 October, he joined the first team for an away Champions League game against Spartak Moscow, where he was an unused substitute.[5] Clifford signed a new four-year contract for Chelsea in September 2011.[2] On 19 March 2012, Clifford made headlines when he, along with Jacob Mellis, set off a smoke grenade and caused an evacuation of the club's Cobham training ground. The pair escaped with a fine after admitting he brought the grenade – understood to be from a paintball expedition – into Chelsea's Cobham training headquarters.[6] The pair were suspended after the incident on 2 March, though Mellis was sacked.[7]
On 11 January 2013, he joined Colchester United on a one-month loan deal, and made his debut the next day as they fell to a 2–1 home defeat to Scunthorpe – a club-record ninth successive defeat.[8] Having been joined in Essex by his Chelsea teammate Sam Walker, also on loan,[9] Billy started the remaining four games of his initial loan spell as the U's fortunes began to turn.
On 12 February after a 1–0 win at home to Preston North End,[10] the loan deal was extended until the end of the season[11] with Colchester boss Joe Dunne describing Billy as "tenacious, has great technical ability, his heart is big and it's a chance to get out and play which he has taken."[12]
A fortnight later he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win at home to Yeovil Town,[13] before assisting Jabo Ibehre to open the scoring in another 2–0 win at Stevenage which took the U's out of the bottom four.[14] He made his final appearance for the club on the final day of the 2012–13 season, helping the club secure a 2–0 away victory at Carlisle United to guarantee League One safety.[15]
On 10 July 2013, Clifford joined Football League Championship side Yeovil Town on a six-month loan deal.[16] He made his debut for Yeovil as in their Football League Cup first round victory over Southend United, on 6 August 2013.[17] On 25 August, Clifford returned to Chelsea after failing to break into the Yeovil first team.[18]
On 30 January 2014, Clifford was loaned for the rest of the season to Belgian club Royal Antwerp, then managed by former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.[19]
Later career
On 7 August 2014, Clifford agreed to cancel his contract with Chelsea by mutual consent to seek regular football.[20] On 8 August 2014, Walsall signed the midfielder on a six-month contract.[21] The next day, Clifford made his debut for the club, where he came on as substitute for James Baxendale in the 70th minute, in a 1–1 draw against Port Vale.[22] Clifford made thirteen league appearances for Walsall before leaving the club on 9 January 2015 at the end of his contract.[23]
On 15 July 2015, Clifford joined Boreham Wood after a successful trial.[24] He left the Wood at the end of the season after contributing to the club's successful battle against relegation.
On 20 July 2016, Clifford joined Crawley Town on a one-year deal following a successful trial.[25] On 6 August 2016, Clifford made his Crawley debut in a 1–0 victory against Wycombe Wanderers, replacing Jason Banton in the 82nd minute.[26] A week later, manager Dermot Drummy gave Clifford his first Crawley start in a 1–1 draw against Doncaster Rovers, in which he featured up until the 70th minute before being replaced by Bobson Bawling.[27] On 5 November 2016, in an FA Cup tie against Bristol Rovers, Clifford scored Crawley's equaliser in a 1–1 draw, scoring in the 35th minute after Lee Brown had given the visitors the lead.[28] On 14 May 2018, it was announced that Clifford would leave Crawley at the end of his current deal in June.[29]
On 3 August 2018, Clifford agreed to return to Boreham Wood, signing on a non-contract basis following a successful trial period.[30]
After featuring as an unused substitute on two occasions whilst back at Boreham Wood, Clifford opted to join National League South side Hemel Hempstead Town and went on to make his debut in a 2–0 loss against Woking in August 2018.[31] Clifford then followed manager Dean Brennan to Billericay Town in December before joining Slough Town on loan until the end of the season in February 2019.[32]
On 20 July 2019, Clifford signed for Wealdstone.[33] He signed a one-year contract extension in July 2020.[34]
Career statistics
- As of match played 13 April 2019.
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Chelsea | 2010–11[35] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2011–12[36] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2012–13[37] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2013–14[38] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Colchester United (loan) | 2012–13[37] | League One | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
Yeovil Town (loan) | 2013–14[38] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
Royal Antwerp (loan) | 2013–14[39] | Belgian Second Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||
Walsall | 2014–15[40] | League One | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
Boreham Wood | 2015–16[41] | National League | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 | |
Crawley Town | 2016–17[42] | League Two | 36 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 1 |
2017–18[43] | League Two | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
Total | 43 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 54 | 2 | ||
Boreham Wood | 2018–19[44] | National League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Hemel Hempstead Town | 2018–19[45] | National League South | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |
Billericay Town | 2018–19[45] | National League South | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
Slough Town (loan) | 2018–19[45] | National League South | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | |
Career total | 124 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 151 | 6 |
References
- ^ "Premier League Clubs submit Squad Lists" (PDF). Premier League. 4 February 2014. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
- ^ a b "BILLY CLIFFORD". ChelseaFC.com. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ^ "Billy Clifford". ESPN. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ^ "It's the real world at Walsall for Billy Clifford". Express and Star. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- ^ "Spartak Moscow 0–2 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 18 October 2010.
- ^ "Chelsea part company with Jacob Mellis over smoke grenade incident". The Guardian. London. 20 March 2012.
- ^ Ashton, Neil (20 March 2012). "Chelsea sack starlet Mellis and fine team-mate Clifford over smoke bomb prank". Daily Mail. London.
- ^ "Colchester 1–2 Scunthorpe". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ^ "Chelsea keeper Sam Walker joins Colchester United on loan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ^ "Colchester 1–0 Preston". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
- ^ "Clifford loan extended". Chelsea F.C. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ^ "U's Loanees Proving A Big Plus". Vital Colchester. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ^ "Colchester 2–0 Yeovil". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- ^ "Stevenage 0–2 Colchester". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
- ^ "Carlisle 0–2 Colchester". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ "Yeovil Town sign Michael Ngoo and Billy Clifford on loan". BBC Sport. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- ^ "Southend 0–1 Yeovil". BBC Sport. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ "Billy goes back to Chelsea". Yeovil Town F.C. 25 August 2013. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- ^ "Clifford loaned to Belgian club". Chelsea F.C. 20 January 2014. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ^ "Billy Clifford confirms Chelsea departure". Give Me Sport. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ^ "Billy Clifford: Walsall sign former Chelsea midfielder". BBC Sport. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ^ "Port Vale 1–1 Walsall". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ^ "Walsall confirm Billy Clifford has moved on". Express and Star. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ^ "Allinsob bags hat trick of signings". Boreham Wood F.C. 15 July 2015. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ "Billy Clifford signs for Reds". Crawley Town F.C. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ^ "Crawley Town 1-0 Wycombe Wanderers". BBC Sport. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
- ^ "Doncaster Rovers 1-1 Crawley Town". BBC Sport. 13 August 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ "Crawley Town 1-1 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 5 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ "NEW CONTRACT OFFERS MADE TO THREE PLAYERS". Crawley Town Official Site. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ^ "Midfielder Returns". Boreham Wood Official Site. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ "Hemel Hempstead Town on Twitter". Hemel Hempstead Town Twitter. 18 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- ^ Slough bring in Billy Clifford on loan
- ^ "Billy Clifford signs for Wealdstone!". WealdstoneFC. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
- ^ Ranson, Jacob (3 July 2020). "Wealdstone retain a number of last season's team as they prepare for National League". Brent & Kilburn Times. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2013/2014 for Royal Antwerp". R.A.F.C. Museum. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
- ^ "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
- ^ "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
- ^ "Games played by Billy Clifford in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
- ^ a b c "B. Clifford". Soccerway. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
External links
- Billy Clifford at Soccerbase
- Use dmy dates from March 2013
- 1992 births
- Living people
- English footballers
- English expatriate footballers
- Association football midfielders
- Chelsea F.C. players
- Colchester United F.C. players
- Yeovil Town F.C. players
- Royal Antwerp F.C. players
- Walsall F.C. players
- Boreham Wood F.C. players
- Crawley Town F.C. players
- Hemel Hempstead Town F.C. players
- Wealdstone F.C. players
- Billericay Town F.C. players
- Slough Town F.C. players
- Expatriate footballers in Belgium
- English Football League players
- National League (English football) players
- Belgian Second Division/Belgian First Division B players