Adam Clayton once plied his trade across Premier League and Championship level with Middlesbrough and Huddersfield Town, but where the midfielder is playing now may surprise you.
The former England youth international enjoyed a long and successful professional career in English football, that saw him play at every level of the pyramid between the National League to the Premier League.
Having spent his youth career with Manchester City, Clayton spent time with the likes of Carlisle, Leeds United, Peterborough United and Milton Keynes Dons before joining Huddersfield Town in July 2012.
After spending two years with the Terriers, he joined Middlesbrough in August 2014. Over a decade since making the move to the Riverside Stadium, the industrious central midfielder is still lacing up his boots, but where? The answer to that may well surprise you.
Adam Clayton has taken up a player-coaching role
He's with non-league side Matlock Town
Huddersfield Town's Adam Clayton celebrates scoring goal vs Yeovil Town in the Championship
After leaving National League side Rochdale at the end of the 2023/24 season, Clayton will no doubt have dropped off the radars of many supporters of the professional clubs he used to represent.
That didn't mark the end of his career in the game, however, as the central midfielder is still making crunching tackles and controlling the midfield on a football pitch as of December 2024.
Having agreed a deal to become a player-coach, Clayton signed with Northern Premier League Premier Division side Matlock Town in October 2024. The Gladiators play in the seventh tier of English football, and are two promotions away from the National League.
Clayton seems to be enjoying his role with the club, having smashed home a brilliant strike for the club in mid-December, rolling back the years from when he used to score a handy number of goals in a Huddersfield Town shirt.
It's brilliant to see the former Terriers and Boro man still hold such an appetite for the game, and by taking on a coaching as well as a playing role with Matlock Town, his experience that he can draw having enjoyed a career of over 500 appearances will be invaluable to the rest of that team.
Clayton enjoyed excellent spells with Huddersfield Town and Middlesbrough
He was a beloved player at both clubs
Middlesbrough's Adam Clayton playing for Boro in the Premier League
Whether it was his no-nonsense approach, his ability to dictate the tempo of games from midfield, or his brilliant character that showed itself in a variety of forms, Clayton was a real fan favourite from his time with both Middlesbrough and Huddersfield Town.
He played a vital role in helping the Terriers secure their Championship status between 2012-2014, after the club were promoted to the second tier for the 2012/13 season.
Clayton barely missed a league game for the club in the two years he was at the John Smith's Stadium, and it was his seven out of 10 every week-type performances that earned him a move to Middlesbrough in 2014.
He would continue to be a Mr. Reliable for the Teessiders over the following six years, playing a leading role in helping the club win automatic promotion to the Premier League in the 2015/16 season.
Clayton proved he could do it at top-flight level the following year too, with him being one of the few Boro players who were able to came out of their 2016/17 Premier League relegation campaign able to hold their head high.
He would eventually call time on his spell on Teesside in July 2020, when he signed for Birmingham City on a free transfer, in a move that saw him link back up with his former Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka.
An excellent player for both clubs, and still a hugely popular figure among both respective fanbases. So, with Clayton only turning 36 in mid-January 2025, those supporters may well be surprised to see him not playing at a higher level.
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