Adam Clayton (footballer)

Adam Clayton
Clayton with Bradford City in 2023
Personal information
Full name Adam Stephen Clayton
Date of birth (1989-01-14) 14 January 1989
Place of birth Manchester, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Matlock Town (player/manager)
Youth career
1996–2008 Manchester City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2010 Manchester City 0 (0)
2009–2010Carlisle United (loan) 28 (1)
2010Leeds United (loan) 2 (0)
2010–2012 Leeds United 45 (6)
2010–2011Peterborough United (loan) 7 (0)
2011Milton Keynes Dons (loan) 6 (1)
2012–2014 Huddersfield Town 85 (11)
2014–2020 Middlesbrough 213 (1)
2020–2021 Birmingham City 14 (0)
2022–2023 Doncaster Rovers 33 (0)
2023 Bradford City 14 (0)
2023–2024 Rochdale 27 (0)
2024 Liversedge 10 (0)
2024– Matlock Town 24 (2)
International career
2009 England U20 4 (0)
Managerial career
2025– Matlock Town (player-manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:35, 28 April 2025 (UTC)

Adam Stephen Clayton (born 14 January 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Northern Premier League Division One East club Matlock Town, where he holds the role of player-manager.

His professional career started at Manchester City. While a City player, he enjoyed loan spells at Carlisle United, with whom he reached the 2010 Football League Trophy Final, and Leeds United, where his loan spell was made permanent basis in 2010. Clayton then had further loan spells at Peterborough United and Milton Keynes Dons before becoming a regular in Leeds' team in the 2011–12 season. He then spent two years with Huddersfield Town, and signed for Middlesbrough in 2014. While at the club, he was promoted to and relegated from the Premier League and formed a midfield partnership with Grant Leadbitter. He spent six seasons at Middlesbrough before leaving the club in 2020 when his contract expired, and then joined another Championship club, Birmingham City, where he stayed until November 2021. Clayton signed for Doncaster Rovers in January 2022, Bradford City took over his contract a year later, and he spent the 2023–24 season with Rochdale and began the following campaign with Liversedge before taking up a player/coach role with Matlock Town.

He was a member of England's under-20 team at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup.