Fullname: John Clark
Nickname: "The Brush"
DoB: March 13, 1941
Birthplace: Larkhall, Lanarkshire
Position: Defender/Sweeper (hence the nickname)
Intl Caps: 4
Joined Celtic: 1958
Departed: 1971

[Player Pics]

Summary

John Clark is a member of the glorious Lisbon Lions who won the European Cup back in 1967.

He is perhaps the most undervalued player among the Lisbon Lions team, his subtle sweeping up in the half-back position beside Billy McNeill was integral to their success. Many people say that it was John Clarke who made Billy McNeill the great player he was on the pitch.

He played for Larkhall Thistle before moving to Parkhead in 1958. The early years of Clark's playing career as a wing-half showed few signs of his later glory. He first attracted attention after scoring the only goal in a Cup tie replay against Hibernian in 1961. His performance won him a place in the final, replacing captain Bertie Peacock.

But it was the arrival of Jock Stein at Celtic Park that marked the transformation of Clark's career. Stein employed him as sweeper behind Billy McNeill and he never looked back. Clark was a quiet, down-to-earth character and his cool head was one of his best attributes. A defender through and through, some even joked that he needed a map any time he crossed the half-way line. His role as Celtic's sweeper earned him the nickname "The Brush"!

In the summer of 1971 Clark left Celtic for Morton with team-mate Stevie Chalmers, where he retired two years later. He played in the Scottish League twice and won four caps for Scotland. He then teamed up with McNeill as his assistant manager at Aberdeen and Celtic.

Clark enjoyed a managerial career with Cowdenbeath, Stranraer and Clyde in the 1980s and early 90s. Since then he has been a kit-man for the first team and has been a very popular member of the Celtic backroom team. He worked alongside Martin O'Neill and one of the manager's main requests was for John to tell old tales about the Lisbon Lions and in particular about Jimmy 'Jinky' Johnstone.

His son Martin also became a professional footballer, with Clyde, Notingham Forest and Partick Thistle in the 1990s.

Links

• John Clark pictures
• Lisbon Lions