Full name Billy Clifford Years Team Weight 65 kg Name Billy Clifford Career start 2010 | Playing position Role Footballer Position Midfielder Height 1.70 m | |
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Date of birth (1992-10-18) 18 October 1992 (age 23) Number 47 (Chelsea F.C. / Midfielder), 26 (Walsall F.C. / Midfielder), 20 (Yeovil Town F.C. / Midfielder) Profiles | ||
Reaction billy clifford
Billy Clifford (born 18 October 1992) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder, for Crawley Town. He played in the Football League for Colchester United and Walsall and in the Belgian Second Division for Royal Antwerp.
Contents
- Reaction billy clifford
- Saddlers story billy clifford
- Chelsea
- Loan spells
- Walsall
- Boreham Wood
- Crawley Town
- Career statistics
- References
Saddlers story billy clifford
Chelsea
Born in Slough, Clifford came through the Chelsea academy, having signed with them at the age of 8. 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. Clifford signed a new four-year contract for Chelsea in September 2011. 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. The pair were suspended after the incident on 2 March, though Mellis was sacked.
Loan spells
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. Having been joined in Essex by his Chelsea team mate Sam Walker, also on loan, 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, the loan deal was extended until the end of the season with U's 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."
A fortnight later he scored his first goal for the U's in a 2–0 win at home to Yeovil Town, 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. 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.
On 10 July 2013, Clifford joined Football League Championship side Yeovil Town on a six-month loan deal. He made his debut for Yeovil as in their Football League Cup first round victory over Southend United, on 6 August 2013. On 25 August, Clifford returned to Chelsea after failing to break into the Yeovil first team.
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.
Walsall
On 7 August 2014, Clifford agreed to cancel his contract with Chelsea by mutual consent to seek regular football. On 8 August 2014, Walsall signed the midfielder on a six-month contract. 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. Clifford made thirteen league appearances for the Saddlers before leaving the club on 9 January 2015 at the end of his contract.
Boreham Wood
On 15 July 2015, Clifford joined Boreham Wood after a successful trial. He left the Wood at the end of the season after contributing to the club's successful battle against relegation.
Crawley Town
On 20 July 2016, Clifford joined Crawley Town on a one-year deal following a successful trial. On 6 August 2016, Clifford made his Crawley debut in a 1–0 victory against Wycombe Wanderers, replacing Jason Banton in the 82nd minute. 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. 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.