Former Academy product Peter Clarke reaches massive milestone

Those who used to watch Everton Reserves toward the end of the last century long considered Peter Clarke to be one of the club's most promising prospects from the Everton youth system.  

A graduate of the FA's National School of Excellence at Lilleshall, Peter joined Everton as a 16-year-old in September 1998.

Having captained England at U16 level and helped the England U16s reach the Quarter Finals of the European U16 Championship, Clarke went on to captain his country at U17, U18 and U19 levels.

He was a key player in Everton's Youth Cup team that went all the way to the semi-final stage in 1999.  His progress through the junior teams was rapid too: playing in the Under-17s, Under-19s, and Reserves in his first season.

In the 1999-2000 season, he performed well for both the Under-19s and the Reserves/Under-21s, that he earned a promotion to the first team squad but he didn't make his first senior appearance until the following season when he came on as a substitute against Coventry City in a 3-1 win.

With Everton's continuing injury nightmare in 2001-02, coupled with the departure of Abel Xavier in January 2002, Walter Smith gave Peter the chance to make his full debut in a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa, a game in which he earned rave reviews for a solid performance.

Tipped for big things, Clarkey was thought to have done enough to become a regular in the Everton first team squad but he failed to meet the higher standards required by new manager David Moyes, and the next stage of his development was a loan spell at Second Division Blackpool, where he scored two goals on his home debut.  

Clarke's only senior game under Moyes in the 2002-03 season was the ill-fated FA Cup tie at Shrewsbury.  That was followed later by another three months at Port Vale but he was recalled as cover for David Weir, who was suspended for the last two games of David Moyes's excellent first full season in charge at Goodison Park.

Clarke's future with Everton was short: he was considered by Moyes to be too small for a centre-back; not quick enough or a good enough footballer for a full back. 

After coming on as a sub in a League Cup tie against Stockport, he got just one more chance under Moyes, and he fluffed it, getting the blame for the goals scored by Blackburn in an embarrassing home defeat. 

He went out on loan again in January 2004, this time to Coventry City.  But a red card against Cardiff in his third game saw him earn a four-match ban (his second red card of the season) and his loan was cut short.

Back at Everton, he was not called upon, despite major injuries to Moyes's struggling and rebellious squad at the end of the dismal 2003-04 season.  He was eventually offered a one-year contract but turned that down -- another player unimpressed by Moyes as a manager?

Despite his unrest, there was a distinct lack of interest in him from other clubs, such that he entered Everton's 2004-05 squad on a week-to-week contract... until Blackpool finally negotiated another loan deal in September 2004 with a view to securing a permanent move after he featured in 14 Everton first-team games (10 starts) over 5 years from 1999 to 2004. 

After Blackpool, Clarke played for Port Vale, Coventry, Southend, Huddersfield, Bury, Oldham, Fleetwood, Tranmere, Walsall and Warrington Town.  

Since making the move to Valerie Park in the summer, following the conclusion of a 2-year stint with Warrington Town, the centre-back has featured nine times in all competitions this term.

And tonight, with Prescot Cables playing Lancaster City in the 3rd Qualifying Round of the FA Trophy, Peter Clarke makes his 1,000th appearance.

 

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