| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander Clark | ||
| Date of birth | (1992-06-26)26 June 1992 (age 32) | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Heart of Midlothian | ||
| Number | 28 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Hamilton Academical | |||
| 2008–2011 | St Johnstone | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2022 | St Johnstone | 170 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | →Elgin City (loan) | 33 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | →Queen of the South (loan) | 24 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | →Queen of the South (loan) | 33 | (0) |
| 2022– | Heart of Midlothian | 58 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Scotland | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:32, 11 August 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 June 2024 (UTC) | |||
Alexander Clark (born 26 June 1992) is a Scottish professionalfootballer who plays as agoalkeeper forScottish Premiership clubHeart of Midlothian and theScotland national team.
After playing youth football withHamilton Academical andSt Johnstone, Clark began his senior career in the 2011–12 season on loan atElgin City. He also had two loan spells atQueen of the South before becoming a St Johnstone regular after making his debut for them in 2015. He was part of the St Johnstone side that won both domestic cups during the2020–21 season. Clark left St Johnstone after the 2021–22 season and signed forHeart of Midlothian in September 2022.
Clark made his senior international debut for Scotland in October 2023, aged 31.
Alexander Clark was born 26 June 1992 inGlasgow,[1] and raised inClydebank.[2]
Clark started his career in the youth sides atHamilton Academical and thenSt Johnstone.[3] On 4 July 2011, Clark joinedElgin City on loan ahead of the 2011–12 season.[4]
On 17 October 2013, Clark signed forQueen of the South on loan until 1 January 2014.[5][6] He made his debut on 19 October 2013, in a 2–1 defeat againstDundee.[7] On 14 January 2014, the loan was extended until the end of the season.[8]
On 14 May 2014, Clark signed a new two-year contract with St Johnstone.[9] On 25 July 2014, Queen of the South announced that Clark had returned to the club on loan for the season.[10] Queens announced on 28 May 2015 that Clark was returning to St Johnstone.[11]
Clark made his first appearance for St Johnstone on 26 September 2015, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 win against Dundee United.[12] It was announced shortly afterwards that Clark had signed a new contract with St Johnstone, due to run until the summer of 2018.[13]
In July 2017 he was taken to hospital following a head injury in a friendly match againstSunderland.[14] He was released from hospital after being diagnosed with a concussion.[15]
Clark was suggested as a possible candidate for theScotland international squad during the 2018–19 season, particularly when he kept five consecutive clean sheets in the autumn[16]and also after a good performance in a 2–0 home defeat againstCeltic in early February.[17] Later in February 2019 he suffered a hamstring injury.[18]
During aScottish Cup quarter-final against the Scottish championsRangers in April 2021, Clark assisted in St Johnstone's 122nd-minute goal to take the game into apenalty shoot-out. Having come up the field for a corner, Clark flicked onLiam Craig's cross, and the ball was turned into the goal byChris Kane.[19] In the shoot-out itself, Clark saved attempts fromJames Tavernier andKemar Roofe as St Johnstone won 4–2 to progress to the semi-finals.[19] They went on to win the trophy, with Clark keeping a clean sheet inthe final[20] (as he had in theLeague Cup Final three months earlier).[21]
Clark left St Johnstone in June 2022,[22] and was linked with transfers toDundee United and English clubStoke City.[23]
On 2 September 2022, Clark joinedScottish Premiership clubHeart of Midlothian on a three-year contract.[24][25] He made his debut for the club on 24 December 2022, coming on as a substitute afterCraig Gordon broke his leg.[26]
Clark himself was injured ahead of the 2023–24 season.[27][28] As of 12 October 2023, he had the highest save percentage in the Scottish Premiership during the2023–24 season.[29]
Clark received his first call-up to the seniorScotland squad in August 2021 for games againstDenmark,Moldova andAustria.[30][2] He earned his second call up in November 2021.[31] He pulled out of the Scotland squad in June 2022[32] as he was due to get married.[33]
Clarke was recalled to the Scotland squad in March 2023, as he played regularly forHearts following an injury toCraig Gordon.[34] He made his international debut in afriendly againstFrance on 17 October 2023, aged 31.[35][36][37]
He was called up to Scotland's provisional squad forUEFA Euro 2024.[38]
| Club | Season | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| St Johnstone | 2011–12[39] | Scottish Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012–13[40] | Scottish Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013–14[41] | Scottish Premiership | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014–15[42] | Scottish Premiership | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015–16[43] | Scottish Premiership | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2016–17[44] | Scottish Premiership | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18[45] | Scottish Premiership | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| 2018–19[46] | Scottish Premiership | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 42 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20[47] | Scottish Premiership | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21[48] | Scottish Premiership | 27 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 2021–22[49] | Scottish Premiership | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6[b] | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
| Total | 170 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 211 | 0 | ||
| Elgin City (loan) | 2011–12[39] | Scottish Third Division | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| Queen of the South (loan) | 2013–14[41] | Scottish Championship | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| Queen of the South (loan) | 2014–15[42] | Scottish Championship | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| Heart of Midlothian | 2022–23[50] | Scottish Premiership | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 2023–24[51] | Scottish Premiership | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4[f] | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | Scottish Premiership | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 58 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 68 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 318 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 389 | 0 | ||
St Johnstone
