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One of the biggest transfer
coups in Burton Albion's history was achieved when striker Daryl
Clare signed for the club in March 2006.
Daryl started his career as a
trainee at Grimsby Town and went on to make over 100 appearances for
the Mariners, scoring 10 goals. He spent spells on loan at
Northampton and Cheltenham Town before a free transfer to Boston
United.
He helped the Pilgrims achieve
promotion to the Football League with an impressive strike rate of
25 goals in just 48 appearances. He started the following season for
Boston before being allowed to drop back into the Conference to join
Chester City.
He was soon back on goal
scoring form, bagging a brace on his debut. His goals for Chester
helped them to reach the Nationwide play-offs only to lose out to
Doncaster Rovers. He went one better the following season, scoring
29 goals to win the Conference title and the Golden Boot award for
the second time.
When financial problems hit
the Deva Stadium, Clare left Chester and returned to Boston United.
He never managed to regain the goal touch that he had during his
first spell with the club and joined Crawley in August 2005 for a
club record fee for the Red Devils.
Again financial troubles saw
Daryl on the move and he left Crawley as a free agent to join the
Brewers on transfer deadline day in March 2006. Ironically Daryl
scored his first Albion goal against his former club.
Daryl scored one more goal during his first
season before going on to score 18 times during the 2006/07 season.
Daryl placed himself amongst the all time Albion
greats during his final season, finishing with a tally of 28 goals,
becoming the first player to score more than 20 goals in a Brewers
shirt since 1996.
Within days of missing out on a place in the
play-off final at the end of the 2007/08 season it was announced
that Daryl had left the club to join Rushden & Diamonds much to the
disappointment, but not surprise, of many Albion fans.
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DARYL CLARE
