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Clarke Stays At The Moat
David Clarke
The good news coming out of the club ahead of the opening friendly fixture against Tamworth is that Manager Gary Norton has persuaded supporters Player of the Year Dave Clarke to stay at the Moat Ground for another season.
The news will please everyone connected with the club after a string of fine performances saw Clarke named supporters favourite at the clubs awards dinner last month. Manager Gary Norton had been in talks with Clarke since the end of last season but the popular goalkeeper wanted time over the summer to consider his options and has now decided to remain a Moatman.Norton commented: "We are very pleased that Dave has agreed to stay with us and we want him to carry on from last season. I think he wanted to take some time to see where the club was going off the pitch and having seen the buzz around the place since Mark Harrison, Barry North and the new board have been in charge he feels the club is definitely going the right way after a couple of difficult years and he wants to be part of it. He improved immensely over the course of last season and we think he can still improve on certain aspects of his game and we will be working with him to do that."
The manager also added that he wanted Clarke to have to fight hard for his shirt and intimated that young keeper Tommy Allen was next on his list to speak to about staying at the club. He added: "I haven't yet had chance to sit down with Tommy but I want to do that this week. He went out on loan to Stapenhill in the Alliance last season and he benefited greatly from the experience.
"He has been bang at it in training and like last pre-season I'm expecting him to push Dave Clarke all the way for the shirt. The pair of them get on very well and train hard together and I would love Tommy to stay for the coming season. With 5 subs being allowed in the Unibond this year a second keeper would potentially be more involved in the First team and I need two keepers who I can rely on.
Both Dave and Tommy fit the bill perfectly. Tommy is a young keeper and I want to try to make sure he continues his development at this club. He's a local lad and has got a good head on his shoulders and I like him a lot and I'm hoping that like Dave he to will stay at the club for the coming season."
