 Clark in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicholas Alexander McCormack Clark[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1991-06-03)3 June 1991 (age 33) | ||
| Place of birth | Bellshill, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | St Johnstone | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2006 | Rangers | ||
| 2006–2009 | Aberdeen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2010 | Aberdeen | 0 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | →Peterhead (loan) | 23 | (4) |
| 2010–2011 | Peterhead | 24 | (4) |
| 2011–2013 | Queen of the South | 66 | (32) |
| 2013–2016 | Rangers | 78 | (19) |
| 2016 | Bury | 3 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | Dunfermline Athletic | 62 | (29) |
| 2018–2022 | Dundee United | 114 | (31) |
| 2022– | St Johnstone | 54 | (16) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 November 2024 | |||
Nicholas Alexander McCormack Clark (born 3 June 1991) is a Scottish professionalfootballer who plays as astriker forScottish Premiership clubSt Johnstone. Clark is the son of the formerAirdrieonians,Hearts,Rangers andWest Ham strikerSandy Clark.[3]
Clark began his career with the youth team ofRangers but was released at 15 and joinedAberdeen.[4] He appeared as an unused substitute during the 2008–09 season and in early 2009, Clark signed a contract extension with the club.[5]
To gain first team experience, Clark joinedPeterhead on loan until January.[6] Clark made his debut for the club on 19 September 2009, where he came on as a substitute in the 74th minute as Peterhead drew 1–1 withArbroath.[7] Clark's loan spell with Peterhead was extended until the end of the 2009–10 season.[8] In the 2009–10 season, Clark would make twenty-five appearances and score four times. Clark, along withJonathan Crawford, was released by the club after being told they wouldn't be offered a new contract.[9]
After being released by Aberdeen, Clark joined Peterhead permanently in August 2010.[10] Like his loan spell, Clark continued to be a first team regular for the club, where he made twenty-nine appearances and scored four times.
He moved toQueen of the South in July 2011,[11] signing a one-year contract extension in May 2012.[12] The first season with Queen of the South was a struggle for Clark, as he failed to score his first goal, though it eventually happened in the second round ofScottish League Cup againstForfar Athletic.[13]
The 2012–13 season was an improvement and breakthrough season for Clark after his dad,Sandy, joined the club as an assistant manager[14] and he formed a striking partnership withDerek Lyle.[15] Clark would score 41 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions, including scoring two hat-tricks againstStranraer[16] and Forfar Athletic.[17] Clark also played a role in winning theChallenge Cup Final when he scored the opener beforePartick Thistle equalised, leading to a penalty shootout. Queen of the South would win the penalty shootout 6–5 to lift the cup.[18] With the club also winning theSecond Division, this gained the club their inaugural league and cup double.
Clark was the SFL Division 2 Player of the Year for the 2012–13 season,[19] and he also won the Ginger Boot Award for being the top scorer across all four Scottish divisions.[20] Clark was also named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year for the Second Division alongside team-matesChris Mitchell,Mark Durnan,Chris Higgins,Daniel Carmichael andLee Robinson.[21]
In May 2013 he signed a three-year contract withRangers, effective from 1 September 2013.[22][23] The move was successful after Clark started talks withAlly McCoist.[24] Ahead of the 2013–14 season, Clark expressed the opinion that playing in the Scottish League One would not be easy.[25]
Clark scored on his debut on 31 August 2013 after 30 seconds, as Rangers won 5–0 againstEast Fife, just one day before the end of the club's transfer embargo.[26] After the match, Clark said he believed the club could score 100 goals by the end of the season after scoring 18 goals at such an early stage.[27] Clark initially struggled to make an impact, as he was often on the bench. This led to theEvening Times questioning whether Clark should become a first team starter.[28] This continued until he scored four goals in a 6–1 win over Forfar Athletic on 3 December 2013.[29] In the second half of the season, Clark suffered a broken foot that kept him out for five weeks.[30] After his return, Clark scored in a 2–1 win overBrechin City on 23 March 2014.[31]
On 3 May, Rangers became the first side in 116 years to go an entire league season unbeaten after a 1–1 draw with Dunfermline during which they clinched the Scottish League One championship. On 28 December 2015, Clark scored in the 65th minute in a crucial match againstHibernian, which put Rangers three points clear of Hibs.[32]
On 23 May 2016, Clark was released by Rangers.[33]
On 25 June 2016, Clark signed forFootball League One sideBury on a two-year deal.[34] Clark made his debut for Bury in a 2–0 victory overCharlton on 6 August 2016.[35] However, after Bury signedJames Vaughan fromBirmingham City, Clark was deemed surplus to requirement and allowed to leaveGigg Lane, having made only four competitive appearances.[36]
Clark returned to Scotland after two months in England, signing forScottish Championship sideDunfermline Athletic in August 2016 on a two-year deal.[37] His move to the Pars saw Clark team up with his former manager atQueen of the South,Allan Johnston, as well as his fatherSandy Clark who was also assistant to Johnston at the Doonhamers. Clark spent two seasons with the Pars, finishing top goalscorer for the club in both seasons, scoring 16 goals in his first and 21 goals in his second.
On 23 May 2018, after opting not to extend his contract with Dunfermline Athletic, Clark joined fellow Scottish Championship clubDundee United on a two-year contract.[38] In his first season, he scored 15 goals in 36 competitive first team games.[39]
During the 2019–20 season Clark played in a deeper role in the side.[40] He signed an extended contract in January 2020, despite having suffered an ankle injury that required surgery.[40]
On 14 January 2021, Clark signed a new contract with Dundee United, keeping him at the club until 2023.[41]
On 31 August 2022, Clark signed forSt Johnstone for an undisclosed fee.[42][43]
Clark was born inBellshill and his father is the formerAirdrieonians,Heart of Midlothian andRangers striker,Sandy Clark.[11]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aberdeen | 2009–10[44] | Scottish Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Peterhead (loan) | 2009–10[44][45] | Scottish Second Division | 23 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 4 |
| Peterhead | 2010–11[46][45] | Scottish Second Division | 24 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 29 | 4 |
| Queen of the South | 2011–12[47] | Scottish First Division | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1[a] | 0 | 36 | 1 |
| 2012–13[48][45] | Scottish Second Division | 36 | 32 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5[a] | 4 | 46 | 41 | |
| Total | 66 | 32 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 82 | 42 | ||
| Rangers | 2013–14[49][45] | Scottish League One | 23 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 30 | 9 |
| 2014–15[50] | Scottish Championship | 33 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8[b] | 1 | 45 | 9 | |
| 2015–16[51] | Scottish Championship | 22 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4[a] | 2 | 32 | 6 | |
| Total | 78 | 19 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 107 | 24 | ||
| Bury | 2016–17[52] | League One | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 2016–17[52] | Scottish Championship | 30 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 37 | 16 |
| 2017–18[53] | Scottish Championship | 32 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4[c] | 2 | 41 | 21 | |
| Total | 62 | 29 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 78 | 37 | ||
| Dundee United | 2018–19[54] | Scottish Championship | 25 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4[d] | 2 | 36 | 15 |
| 2019–20[55] | Scottish Championship | 18 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 22 | 7 | |
| 2020–21[56] | Scottish Premiership | 31 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 11 | |
| 2021–22[57] | Scottish Premiership | 37 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 10 | |
| 2022–23[57] | Scottish Premiership | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 114 | 31 | 10 | 3 | 16 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 146 | 43 | ||
| St Johnstone | 2022-23[58] | Scottish Premiership | 20 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 4 |
| 2023–24[59] | Scottish Premiership | 12 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 5 | |
| Total | 32 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 9 | ||
| Career total | 402 | 128 | 36 | 8 | 32 | 16 | 35 | 11 | 505 | 163 | ||
Queen of the South
Rangers
Dundee United
