In 1889 he moved to London to join Tottenham Hotspur, then in the Southern League. He broke his leg shortly after joining Spurs, thus missing an entire season, but he returned in 1900 to play his part in Spurs' FA Cup winning run. In the first match of the 1901 FA Cup Final against Sheffield United, Spurs were 2–1 up (both goals from Sandy Brown) when in a goalmouth scramble Clawley turned the ball around the post for what should have been a corner. However, the referee Arthur Kingscott (despite being some way from the goalmouth) awarded a goal and the match went to a replay.