Spencer Prior
| Date of birth | 22 April 1971 |
| Place of birth | Southend |
| Nationality | English |
| Weight | 84 kg |
| Height | 1.91 m |
| Position | Defender |
After four years at home town club Southend United, Spencer signed for Norwich City and shortly followed manager Martin O'Neill to Leicester City where he formed a formidable defensive partnership with Matt Elliott.
After an early season move to Derby County in 1998, he fell foul of Jim Smith's regime after publicly criticising tactics and training methods eventually resulting in a transfer deadline day move to Manchester City in March 2000 for £500,000.
A brave uncompromising player, Spencer epitomises the bulldog character of the traditional centre half.
An ever dangerous presence in the opposing area on set pieces, he hit the back of the net three times in quick succession during the latter stages of 1999-2000.
A player of extensive Premiership experience, Spencer rejoined Southend United in July 2004 with a two-year contract.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southend United | 22 May 1989 | 24 Jun 1993 | |
| Norwich City | 24 Jun 1993 | 17 Aug 1996 | |
| Leicester City | 17 Aug 1996 | 22 Aug 1998 | |
| Derby County | 22 Aug 1998 | 23 Mar 2000 | |
| Manchester City | 23 Mar 2000 | 28 Jun 2001 | |
| Cardiff City | 28 Jun 2001 | 30 Jun 2004 | |
| Colchester United | 05 Jul 2004 | 16 Jul 2004 | T |
| Southend United | 28 Jul 2004 | 30 Jun 2007 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | Norwich City | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1993-94 | Norwich City | Premier League | 13 |
1
|
|||
| 1994-95 | Norwich City | FA Cup | 1 |
||||
| 1994-95 | Norwich City | League Cup | 3 | 1 |
|||
| 1994-95 | Norwich City | Premier League | 12 | 5 |
2
|
||
| 1995-96 | Norwich City | League Cup | 3 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Leicester City | FA Cup | 4 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Leicester City | League Cup | 7 |
2
|
|||
| 1996-97 | Leicester City | Premier League | 33 | 1 |
3
|
||
| 1997-98 | Leicester City | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1997-98 | Leicester City | Premier League | 28 | 2 |
2
|
||
| 1997-98 | Leicester City | UEFA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Derby County | FA Cup | 4 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Derby County | League Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Derby County | Premier League | 33 | 1 |
1 |
4
|
|
| 1999-00 | Derby County | League Cup | 3 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Derby County | Premier League | 15 | 5 |
6
|
||
| 2000-01 | Manchester City | FA Cup | 2 | 1 |
|||
| 2000-01 | Manchester City | League Cup | 4 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Manchester City | Premier League | 18 | 3 |
1 |
3
|
|
| 2001-02 | Cardiff City | FA Cup | 3 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Cardiff City | League Division 2 | 33 | 4 |
2 |
8
|
|
| 2001-02 | Cardiff City | League Division 2 Play-Offs | 2 |
1
|
|||
| 2002-03 | Cardiff City | FA Cup | 4 |
2
|
|||
| 2002-03 | Cardiff City | League Cup | 2 |
1
|
|||
| 2002-03 | Cardiff City | League Division 2 | 35 | 2 |
4
|
||
| 2002-03 | Cardiff City | League Division 2 Play-Offs | 3 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Cardiff City | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Cardiff City | League Division 1 | 4 | 3 |
|||
| 2004-05 | Southend United | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Southend United | LDV Vans Trophy | 5 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Southend United | League Two | 41 | 2 |
6
|
||
| 2004-05 | Southend United | League Two Play-Offs | 3 | ||||
| 2005-06 | Southend United | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2005-06 | Southend United | LDV Vans Trophy | 1 | ||||
| 2005-06 | Southend United | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2005-06 | Southend United | League One | 15 | 2 |
3
|
||
| 2006-07 | Southend United | League Championship | 15 | 2 |
1
|
||
| 2006-07 | Southend United | League Cup | 2 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Sep 1993 | Sheffield Wednesday v Norwich City | D | 3-3 | Premier League | |
| 11 Sep 1993 | Norwich City v Wimbledon | L | 0-1 | Premier League | |
| 16 Oct 1993 | Chelsea v Norwich City | W | 1-2 | Premier League | |
| 26 Oct 1993 | Arsenal v Norwich City | D | 1-1 | League Cup | 3rd round |
| 30 Oct 1993 | Arsenal v Norwich City | D | 0-0 | Premier League | |
| 13 Dec 1993 | Norwich City v Leeds United | W | 2-1 | Premier League | |
| 29 Mar 1994 | Newcastle United v Norwich City | L | 3-0 | Premier League | |
| 02 Apr 1994 | Norwich City v Tottenham Hotspur | L | 1-2 | Premier League | |
| 04 Apr 1994 | Aston Villa v Norwich City | D | 0-0 | Premier League | |
| 09 Apr 1994 | Norwich City v Southampton | L | 4-5 | Premier League | |
| 16 Apr 1994 | Manchester City v Norwich City | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 23 Apr 1994 | Norwich City v Sheffield United | L | 0-1 | Premier League | |
| 30 Apr 1994 | Liverpool v Norwich City | W | 0-1 | Premier League | |
| 07 May 1994 | Norwich City v Oldham Athletic | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 04 Oct 1994 | Swansea City v Norwich City | L |
1-0 Agg: 1-3 |
League Cup | 2nd round 2nd leg |
| 08 Oct 1994 | Norwich City v Leeds United | W | 2-1 | Premier League | |
| 15 Oct 1994 | Aston Villa v Norwich City | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 26 Oct 1994 | Tranmere Rovers v Norwich City | D | 1-1 | League Cup | 3rd round |
| 30 Oct 1994 | Wimbledon v Norwich City | L | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 02 Nov 1994 | Southampton v Norwich City | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 05 Nov 1994 | Norwich City v Everton | D | 0-0 | Premier League | |
| 09 Nov 1994 | Norwich City v Tranmere Rovers | W | 4-2 | League Cup | 3rd round replay |
| 19 Nov 1994 | Coventry City v Norwich City | L | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 02 Jan 1995 | Liverpool v Norwich City | L | 4-0 | Premier League | |
| 14 Jan 1995 | Norwich City v Wimbledon | L | 1-2 | Premier League | |
| 25 Jan 1995 | Norwich City v Coventry City | D | 2-2 | Premier League | |
| 11 Feb 1995 | Norwich City v Southampton | D | 2-2 | Premier League | |
| 18 Feb 1995 | Everton v Norwich City | L | 5-0 | FA Cup | 5th round |
| 04 Mar 1995 | Norwich City v Manchester City | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 11 Mar 1995 | West Ham United v Norwich City | D | 2-2 | Premier League | |
| 15 Mar 1995 | Queens Park Rangers v Norwich City | L | 2-0 | Premier League | |
| 05 Apr 1995 | Leicester City v Norwich City | L | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 08 Apr 1995 | Newcastle United v Norwich City | L | 3-0 | Premier League | |
| 12 Apr 1995 | Norwich City v Nottingham Forest | L | 0-1 | Premier League | |
| 17 Apr 1995 | Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City | L | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 20 Sep 1995 | Norwich City v Torquay United | W | 6-1 | League Cup | 2nd round 1st leg |
| 29 Nov 1995 | Norwich City v Bolton Wanderers | D | 0-0 | League Cup | 4th round |
| 20 Dec 1995 | Bolton Wanderers v Norwich City | W | 0-0 (3-2) | League Cup | 4th round replay |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.