BLACK HISTORY MONTH: CLARKE CARLISLE

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Burnley Football Club continue to celebrate Black History Month this October...

2022-10-27T10:00:00.000Z

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: CLARKE CARLISLE

Burnley Football Club continue to celebrate Black History Month this October...

2022-10-27T10:00:00.000Z

Burnley Football Club continue to celebrate Black History Month this October...

Throughout the course of the month, we will be recognising former Black Burnley players and their legacy and achievements at the Club.

We will also be talking to current players to find out about their sporting heroes and footballers that inspired them to play the beautiful game.

Clarke Carlisle

Following in his father Mervin's footsteps, who played semi-professional football for both Morecambe and Southport, Clarke Carlisle was soon attracting the attention of many club scouts as a young teenager.

His talent soon caught the eye of Blackpool and he joined the Tangerines as a trainee in the mid 1990’s. In August 1997 he signed a professional contract with the Bloomfield Road club and made his Football League debut against Wrexham weeks later.

Carlisle continued to feature on a regular basis for the Seasiders, unfortunately, he couldn’t prevent them from being relegated to the Third Division in 2000.

The Preston-born defender caught the attention of Gerry Francis at Loftus Road and moved south for a fee of £250,000 during the summer of 2000.

During his time in West London he won his first of three under-21 caps for England. After just over 100 appearances for Queens Park Rangers, he signed for Leeds United on a free transfer in June 2004.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: CLARKE CARLISLE - Image 1

Injury setbacks beset him during his time at Elland Road and after only twelve months with the Peacocks, he moved to Vicarage Road.

Again injuries beset him and after making only 40 appearances for Watford he joined the Clarets for £200,000 in the summer of 2007.

Finally he was back home in Lancashire and two days later he made his debut at Glanford Park, however, he couldn’t prevent the Clarets from losing 2-0 against Scunthorpe United.

He soon forged a partnership at the heart of the defence with Steven Caldwell. His first goal for the Clarets was a stunning overhead kick to salvage a point against Bristol City weeks later.

On the eve of the game against Crystal Palace, he was involved in a serious car crash with his car completely written off, however hours later he was lining up for the Clarets.

The following season he was instrumental in helping Burnley reach the Championship Play-off Final at Wembley. In the final against Sheffield United he was awarded the man-of-the match award, as the Clarets reached the Premier League for the first time in their history.

During the 2009/10 Premiership campaign he featured on a regular basis and after suffering relegation back to the Championship he was offered a two-year extension to his contract.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: CLARKE CARLISLE - Image 2

Under the leadership of Brian Laws he continued to play on a regular basis. With the arrival of Eddie Howe, his appearances were limited and in August 2011 he joined his home town club, Preston North End, on a season long loan deal.

In January 2012 his loan spell with North End was cancelled by mutual consent. Two days later he re-joined former Watford manager Aidy Boothroyd at Northampton Town, on loan until the end of the 2011-12 season.

He was released by the Clarets in May 2012 after making over 150 appearances and joined York City three months later.

After only 10 league appearances for the Minstermen he again signed for Northampton on loan in November 2012. He played a vital role in helping the Cobblers reach the 2013 League Two Play-off Final at Wembley. Days after losing to Bradford City in the final, he finally announced his retirement as a player.

During his time as a footballer he was Chairman of the Professional Footballers Association and is still an ambassador for the ‘Kick it Out’ campaign.

Having struggled with mental health disorders over the years, Clarke Carlisle is now helping people of all ages to overcome the same issues that have plagued him for many years.