Ben Smith reports on the latest move…
Conor Clifford – a former Chelsea youth team player – has turned out for six different sides in the Football League during his short career, but his recent move to Barnet has seen him delve into the non-league game for the first time.
The Dublin-born midfielder moved across the Irish Sea in 2007 to join Chelsea’s academy, and signed a full-time scholarship with the Blues the following year.
During the 2009-10 season, Clifford was a regular in the youth team and he captained the Blues side that lifted the FA Youth Cup for the first time in 49 years. His 25-yard screamer with seven minutes to play in the second leg at Stamford Bridge settled the tie, and suggested that the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international had a promising future.
Naturally, the next stage in his development was for him to get a taste of senior football, and Peter Reid – the then manager of Plymouth Argyle – was happy to oblige.
Just after his 19th birthday, Clifford made the temporary switch to Devon with his debut coming in a 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town. The midfielder stayed at Home Park for two months, and made eight appearances including two West Country derbies against Exeter City.
The Pilgrims were unable to extend his short loan, much to the manager’s chagrin.
“It’s a blow,” said Reid to the BBC at the time. “Conor’s done fantastic for us. It’s a big miss and I’m extremely disappointed but we can’t do anything about it, we’ve just got to get on with it.”
Notts County secured the Dubliner’s services during the second half of the season, and he appeared nine times for the Magpies.
Yeovil Town was Clifford’s next loan destination, and in December 2011 he registered his first senior goal in a 2-2 draw at Fleetwood Town.
His promising form was rewarded by Chelsea, and a month after he returned to Stamford Bridge, he was rewarded with a new contract in February 2012 that would keep him there for another year.
The 2012-13 campaign was where Clifford’s struggles began. He joined Portsmouth on a short-term loan, but only played three times for the South Coast outfit. Another temporary switch followed when he moved to Crawley Town, whom he represented once.
In January 2013, Chelsea released the midfielder, despite him having six months to run on his contract. Leicester City picked him up on a free, but only utilised him in reserve fixtures before they parted ways that summer.
Southend United then offered Clifford a trial, and the Shrimpers handed him a two-year contract on the back of it. He came off the bench on the opening day of the season against former side Plymouth, and made his first start for the Essex club against another of his ex-clubs: Yeovil.
For the first time in his career, Clifford was enjoying a long spell in a senior team, and he ended 2013-14 with 28 appearances to his name – two more than 26 appearances he had managed in the previous three campaigns.
The 23-year-old remained in the Southend side at the outset of the current campaign, starting 10 of their first 12 league games before falling out of favour.
Clifford couldn’t force his way back into the promotion chasing Shrimpers starting eleven, so on February 2nd he moved to Barnet on a one-month loan.
Southend boss Phil Brown said to the Echo: “Conor needed to get out and get himself games and a move to Barnet will enable him to do that.
“He had drifted out of the team in the last couple of months and he really needed to move on to kick start his career again.”
Clifford made an auspicious start to his tenure at The Hive Stadium, as he replaced Luisma Villa in the 40th minute and delivered the through ball for striker John Akinde that led to the Bees’ second goal.
“I thought the fans were brilliant,” the midfielder said post-match to the club’s official website. “They were behind us for the whole game and there seems to be a real feel-good factor around here both amongst the fans and in the dressing room.”
Barnet are five points clear at the top of the Vanarama Conference, and the addition of Clifford – even if only for a month – can only be beneficial for all parties involved.
His contract at Roots Hall runs out in the summer – but if his future doesn’t lie in Essex, then perhaps Barnet are the perfect suitors that Conor Clifford has been waiting for.