Robbie Cleary
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert James Karl Cleary | ||
| Date of birth | May 15, 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Oakville, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Salford City | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2014 | RVDL Lions | ||
| 2014–2016 | Burlington Bayhawks | ||
| 2017–2022 | Sigma FC | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021 | Oakland Golden Grizzlies | 10 | (0) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021 | Forge FC | 5 | (0) |
| 2021 | → Sigma FC (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2022 | Sigma FC | 18 | (2) |
| 2024– | Salford City | 0 | (0) |
| 2024 | → F.C. United of Manchester (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2025 | → Bamber Bridge (loan) | 17 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:59, 15 May 2025 (UTC) | |||
Robert Cleary (born May 15, 2003) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for English EFL League Two club Salford City.
Early life
[edit]Cleary began his career with the RVDL Lions, created by former Dutch player Robin van der Laan, later playing for the Burlington Bayhawks in OPDL and then moved to Sigma FC at age 14.
College career
[edit]In January 2021, Cleary committed to Oakland University.[1] On October 9, 2021, he recorded his first two collegiate assists in a 4-3 victory over the Cleveland State Vikings.[2] He played 10 games in 2021, recording 3 assists.[3]
Club career
[edit]In June 2021, Cleary signed a developmental contract with Canadian Premier League club Forge FC.[4] He made his professional debut on July 1 against FC Edmonton, subbing in for Chris Nanco in an eventual 2–0 defeat.[5] As part of his developmental contract, he also played with Sigma FC in League1 Ontario.[6]
In 2022, he played for Sigma FC in League1 Ontario,[7] also playing for the Sigma FC U21 in the Reserve Division where he scored 6 goals in 10 games.[8]
In May 2024, Cleary signed with English EFL League Two club Salford City FC, with the deal taking effect upon the opening of the transfer window on July 1, 2024.[9][10] He made his English professional debut on August 20, 2024 in an EFL Trophy game against Port Vale FC.[citation needed] In September 2024, he went on a month-long loan to F.C. United of Manchester in the seventh tier Northern Premier League Premier Division.[11] In January 2025, he joined Northern Premier League Premier Division team Bamber Bridge FC, initially on a month-long loan.[12][13] The loan was later extended to the end of April 2025.[14]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of match played November 12, 2024[15]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Forge FC | 2021 | Canadian Premier League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Sigma FC (loan) | 2021[6] | League1 Ontario | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Sigma FC | 2022[7] | 18 | 2 | — | — | — | 18 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 19 | 2 | — | — | — | 19 | 2 | |||||
| Salford City | 2024–25 | EFL League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| F.C. United of Manchester (loan) | 2024–25[16] | Northern Premier League Premier | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Bamber Bridge FC (loan) | 2024–25[17] | Northern Premier League Premier | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 | |
| Career total | 45 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 6 | ||
- ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy
References
[edit]- ^ Sigma FC [@SigmaFC] (January 11, 2021). "Congratulations to Robbie Cleary signing his NLI with @OaklandMSOC. We'd like to wish you the best of success at Oakland" (Tweet). Retrieved October 5, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Oakland completes epic comeback from 3-0 deficit to defeat HLMSOC leader CSU". Oakland Golden Grizzlies. October 9, 2021.
- ^ "2021 Oakland University Men's Soccer Overall Statistics". Oakland Golden Grizzlies.
- ^ "Forge FC Adds Three Young Local Players to Roster". Forge FC. June 24, 2021.
- ^ Forge FC [@ForgeFCHamilton] (July 1, 2021). "79' - Substitution It's a Forge FC and CPL debut for Robbie Cleary as he comes on for @ChrisNanco" (Tweet). Retrieved July 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b "Robert Cleary L1O 2021 Stats". League1 Ontario.
- ^ a b "Robbie Cleary 2022 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
- ^ "Robbie Cleary 2022 L1U21 Stats". League1 Ontario.
- ^ "Young Canadian Agrees Salford Deal". Salford City F.C. May 15, 2024. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ "Former Bayhawk Signs with Salford City FC". Burlington SC. May 29, 2024.
- ^ "Robbie Cleary heads out on loan". Salford City F.C. August 30, 2024.
- ^ "Player News: Welcome to Brig Sandro Da Costa and Robbie Cleary". Bamber Bridge F.C. January 13, 2025. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
- ^ "Salford Pair Agree Lancashire Loan Move". Salford City FC. January 13, 2025.
- ^ Hughes, Ben (March 17, 2025). "Robbie Cleary agrees loan extension". Salford City FC.
- ^ Robbie Cleary at Soccerway
- ^ "Robbie Cleary FCUM stats". FC United Fan.
- ^ "Robbie Cleary Bamber Bridge Stats". Bamber Bridge FC.
External links
[edit]- Robbie Cleary at Soccerway
- 2003 births
- Living people
- Men's association football forwards
- Canadian men's soccer players
- Soccer players from Burlington, Ontario
- Forge FC players
- Sigma FC players
- Burlington SC (League1 Ontario) players
- Salford City F.C. players
- F.C. United of Manchester players
- Bamber Bridge F.C. players
- League1 Ontario players
- Canadian Premier League players
- Northern Premier League players
- Canadian expatriate men's soccer players
- Expatriate men's footballers in England
- Canadian expatriate sportspeople in England
- 21st-century Canadian sportsmen