Charles David Clough (born 4 September 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Thai League 1 club Lamphun Warriors.
Career
Bristol Rovers Originally from Taunton in Somerset, Clough was admitted into the Bristol Rovers youth set-up, based at the Bristol Academy of Sport, and was promoted to the first-team squad in the summer of 2007. His Football League debut, aged 17, came in a League One match against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Memorial Stadium on 26 April 2008 as a substitute in the 68th minute.
At the start of the 2008–09 season he was sent to Mangotsfield United on a month's loan to gain some first team experience, with the loan later extended into a second month. In September 2010, he joined Newport County on a one-month loan. In January 2011, he joined struggling Southern Premier League club Weymouth on a month-long loan.
On 28 February 2011, he joined Bath City on an initial loan period of a month. He made his debut for Bath City on 1 March 2011 in a 5–1 away defeat against Rushden & Diamonds. He was recalled from his loan period on 28 April 2011 having scored two goals in eleven appearances. He re-joined Bath on loan later that year, when they signed him in a month-long emergency deal. In March 2012, he joined A.F.C. Telford United on loan.
In December 2011, he was told he would be allowed to leave Bristol Rovers alongside teammate Ben Swallow.
Dorchester Town In the summer of 2012, Clough joined Dorchester Town, signing a permanent deal. On 4 November 2012, he was a part of the Dorchester side that earned a shock 1–0 win over Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup first round.
In April 2013, he was named the Dorset Echo Player of the Year at the club. In September 2013, Dorchester 'reluctantly' agreed to a request from Clough to have him put on the transfer list.
Sutton United On 12 September 2013, he moved to Conference South league rivals Sutton United who paid an undisclosed fee for his signature. He scored on 9 November 2013 in a 4–1 away defeat against Conference National Kidderminster Harriers in the first round of the FA Cup.
He was made captain at Sutton United amid interest from clubs at a higher level. During the 2013–14 season, he helped the club to the Conference South play-off semi-finals where they lost against Dover Athletic who would go on to win promotion to the Conference National.
Forest Green Rovers On 4 January 2015, it was confirmed he would be joining Conference National club Forest Green Rovers for an undisclosed fee. He made his Forest Green debut on 17 January 2015, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 away win against Braintree Town. He scored his first goal for the club on 21 February 2015 in a 3–0 home win over former club AFC Telford United. He helped Forest Green into the 2014–15 Conference National play-offs for the first time, playing in both legs of a semi-final defeat against former club Bristol Rovers.
He scored his first goal of the 2015–16 season in stoppage time to earn Forest Green a 2–1 win over Macclesfield Town on 30 January 2016. Later that season, he helped the club reach the 2015–16 National League play-off final at Wembley Stadium, and played the full 90 minutes in a game that ended in a 3–1 defeat to Grimsby Town. It was confirmed the next day that he had agreed a contract extension to stay at the club.
In November 2016, he signed a new contract with Forest Green, agreeing a deal until the summer of 2019.
Barnet On 23 January 2017, Clough signed for Barnet for an undisclosed fee. He was released by Barnet at the end of the 2017–18 season.
Return to Sutton Clough re-joined Sutton for the 2018–19 season.Charlie returns to the Lane
DPMM Clough left Sutton in December 2018 and joined Bruneian club DPMM for the 2019 season, joining up with his former manager at Forest Green, Adrian Pennock.Pennock checks in with DPMM FC He scored his first goal for the Bruneian side in a 1–1 draw away to Young Lions FC on 7 August. DPMM were crowned champions of the Singapore Premier League on his first season at the club. Clough played a huge part in the title-winning campaign, his club claiming the joint-best defensive record of the league after 24 matches.
On 9 November 2020, Clough announced on his social media accounts that he has signed for a third year with DPMM FC. With his team playing domestically for the 2021 season, he made his debut against BAKES FC on 27 June, scoring five goals in a 16–1 rout. Clough left DPMM at the year's end.
Nakhon Ratchasima
On 9 December 2021, Clough joined Thai League 1 side Nakhon Ratchasima. On 16 April 2022, he scored his first league goal in a 1–0 win over Ratchaburi FC. In an interview with the Somerset County Gazette, Clough is settling down and enjoying life in Thailand, saying his playing style suit the league.
Port FC On 30 May 2023, Clough moved to another Thai side, joining Port. He scored his first goal for Port in a 0–4 away victory to Police Tero on 11 February 2024.
In June 2024, Clough joined recently relegated Thai League 2 club Chonburi on a season loan. On 16 December 2024, Clough announced that his loan at Chonburi had come to an end. He later joined Sisaket United on loan.
Career statistics
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps GoalsBristol Rovers2007–08League One10000000102008–0900000000002009–1000000000002010–1120000000202011–12League Two0000000000Bristol Rovers total3000000030Mangotsfield United (loan)2008–09Charlie Clough – Aylesbury UnitedSouthern Premier10000—00100Chippenham Town (loan)2009–10Southern Premier10000—00100Newport County (loan)2010–11Conference Premier2010—0030Weymouth (loan)2010–11Southern Premier5100—0051Bath City (loan)2010–11Conference Premier11200—001122011–12Conference Premier12120—00141Bath City total23320—00253Telford United (loan)2011–12Conference Premier0000—0000Dorchester Town2012–13Charlie Clough – SoccerwayConference South371031—2Appearances in the FA Trophy142122013–146000—0060Dorchester Town total431031—214812Sutton United2013–14Conference South30231—2Appearances in the Conference South play-offs03532014–1522500—10235Sutton United total52731—30588Forest Green Rovers2014–15Conference Premier19200—2Appearances in the Conference Premier play-offs02122015–16National League39120—4Three appearances in the National League play-offs, one appearance in the FA Trophy04412016–1725400—00254Forest Green total83720—50907Barnet2016–17League Two1810000001812017–1836010202Two appearances in the EFL Trophy0410Barnet total541102020591Sutton United2018–19National League22230002One appearance in the Scottish Challenge Cup, one appearance in the FA Trophy0272DPMM2019Singapore Premier League232510000283202011000000112021Brunei Super League5800000058DPMM FC total29115100003412Nakhon Ratchasima2021–22Thai League 11214110001722022–23283420000315Nakhon Ratchasima total404831000497Port2023–24Thai League 117100101Appearances in the AFC Champions League0191Chonburi (loan)2024–25Thai League 2121100000131Sisaket United (loan)152000000152Lamphun Warriors2025–26Thai League 12514010003012026–271000000010Lamphun Warriors total261301000311Career total446513365015149958
Honours
Brunei DPMM Singapore Premier League: 2019
Individual Singapore Premier League Team of the Year: 2019
References
External links Charlie Clough player profile at bristolrovers.co.uk