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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Aug 2000 | Charlton Athletic v Manchester City | L | 4-0 | Premier League | |
| 23 Aug 2000 | Manchester City v Sunderland | W | 4-2 | Premier League | |
| 26 Aug 2000 | Manchester City v Coventry City | L | 1-2 | Premier League | |
| 05 Sep 2000 | Leeds United v Manchester City | W | 1-2 | Premier League | |
| 09 Sep 2000 | Liverpool v Manchester City | L | 3-2 | Premier League | |
| 17 Sep 2000 | Manchester City v Middlesbrough | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 20 Sep 2000 | Manchester City v Gillingham | D | 1-1 | League Cup | 2nd round 1st leg |
| 23 Sep 2000 | Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City | D | 0-0 | Premier League | |
| 30 Sep 2000 | Manchester City v Newcastle United | L | 0-1 | Premier League | |
| 14 Oct 2000 | Manchester City v Bradford City | W | 2-0 | Premier League | |
| 23 Oct 2000 | Southampton v Manchester City | W | 0-2 | Premier League | |
| 28 Oct 2000 | Arsenal v Manchester City | L | 5-0 | Premier League | |
| 01 Nov 2000 | Aston Villa v Manchester City | W | 0-1 | League Cup | 3rd round |
| 04 Nov 2000 | Manchester City v Leicester City | L | 0-1 | Premier League | |
| 11 Nov 2000 | West Ham United v Manchester City | L | 4-1 | Premier League | |
| 18 Nov 2000 | Manchester City v Manchester United | L | 0-1 | Premier League | |
| 25 Nov 2000 | Manchester City v Ipswich Town | L | 2-3 | Premier League | |
| 29 Nov 2000 | Manchester City v Wimbledon | W | 2-1 | League Cup | 4th round |
| 03 Dec 2000 | Chelsea v Manchester City | L | 2-1 | Premier League | |
| 19 Dec 2000 | Manchester City v Ipswich Town | L | 1-2 | League Cup | Quarter-final |
| 06 Jan 2001 | Manchester City v Birmingham City | W | 3-2 | FA Cup | 3rd round |
| 20 Jan 2001 | Derby County v Manchester City | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 27 Jan 2001 | Manchester City v Coventry City | W | 1-0 | FA Cup | 4th round |
| 18 Feb 2001 | Liverpool v Manchester City | L | 4-2 | FA Cup | 5th round |
| 31 Mar 2001 | Manchester City v Aston Villa | L | 1-3 | Premier League | |
| 14 Apr 2001 | Leicester City v Manchester City | W | 1-2 | Premier League | |
| 21 Apr 2001 | Manchester United v Manchester City | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 07 May 2001 | Ipswich Town v Manchester City | L | 2-1 | Premier League | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.