When Sheffield United was promoted back to the Championship for the 2017/18 season, few could have predicted the impact Leon Clarke would have at Bramall Lane.

The Blades paid an unknown price for the Birmingham-born frontman from Bury in 2016, and the 31-year-old returned their faith by scoring 19 goals and assisting five times in their return to the second division in 2017/18.

Clarke’s remarkable return was all the more astonishing given that he had not been one of League One’s best attackers the previous season, scoring just seven goals in his debut season with United.

Clarke played an important role in Chris Wilder’s early success at Bramall Lane, and he was a member of the squad that gained promotion to the Premier League.

Leon Clarke’s championship win came out of nowhere

Prior to Clarke’s outstanding season with United, he had never really found his feet at Championship level.

The striker has never scored more than eight goals in a single season in the second division, with all of his most productive years coming in League One and League Two.

However, for that one season, Clarke was nearly unstoppable at Championship level, establishing himself as one of the division’s most serious threats.

He created a name for himself early in the season, scoring twice in a 4-2 win over arch rivals Sheffield Wednesday, with whom Clarke had previously played three seasons.

Another memorable incident occurred in November, when he scored all four goals in a 4-1 victory over Hull City. That performance made him the first United player to score four goals in a single game since Keith Edwards in 1983.

The 32-year-old maintained his impressive form throughout the season, finishing with 19 goals and five assists, earning him a spot in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.

Wilder’s men finished 10th that season, laying the groundwork for the next two seasons, when they were promoted back to the top division for the first time since 2007, and subsequently ended ninth.

Clarke’s career has deteriorated after leaving United.

Following his goal-scoring exploits in 2017/18, Clarke was loaned out to rival Championship side Wigan Athletic in January 2019.

He scored three goals and had two assists for the Latics in 15 appearances before returning to Bramall Lane at the end of the season.

Clarke got a taste of the Premier League for the first time in his career as Wilder’s side broke into the top level, making two appearances as the Blades flirted with European qualifying.

He eventually departed South Yorkshire in September 2020, moving back to League One with Shrewsbury Town. Clarke has played for five clubs since leaving United, including Shrewsbury, Bristol Rovers, Hartlepool United, Kettering Town, and, most recently, Mickleover, but has never made more than 11 league appearances for any of them. He then declared that he would retire in mid-2024.

While he had intended to build on his 19-goal season, Clarke concluded his career as one of those strikers who never fully mastered the Championship on a consistent basis.

Leon Clarke EFL statistics per division (as per FBref)

League

Games Goals

Assists Championship 286 60

18 League One: 170 79 League Two: 24 2 Premier League: 1 –

– Although he scored double figures three times in League One, his only high-scoring season in the second division came with Sheffield United.

Nonetheless, he played a significant role in helping the Blades return to the level at which they should be competing on a regular basis, and it’s reasonable to question whether their 2018/19 promotion would have been possible without his goals.