GOONER NO DAE THAT
Arsenal loanee Clarke wants to stay put to get Hibs back on their feet
HARRY CLARKE is praying Arsenal don’t activate a break clause in his 18-month Hibs loan.
Because the defender is desperate to help pick up the pieces of a broken season.
Clarke signed an extended loan deal at Easter Road in January but had to wait until April to make his debut due to a hamstring injury.
Back-to-back Edinburgh derby defeats in his first three games saw Hibs miss out on the top six, dumped out the Scottish Cup in the semi-final and cost manager Shaun Maloney his job.
To make matters worse Clarke has seen Ross County – where he had initially signed a season-long loan last summer – secure a tophalf finish and push for European football next season.
It’s the kind of start that could have had some cursing their luck. But Clarke insists he has no regrets.
Arsenal have break clauses in the loan agreement in the summer and next January and with no new manager at Hibs, Clarke could be forgiven for being nervous over his future. But he said: “There are break clauses but as far as I’m concerned I’m here for another 12 months.
“It’s just about coming to a bigger club, performing on a big platform at Easter Road, where there are more fans, and proving to people what I can do.
“It’s an amazing club, amazing staff and they make you feel at home. That’s important when you come on loan from a big club that you don’t feel isolated and the players here are amazing. In my
FRASER WILSON
BY first loan I went to Oldham which is still four hours away from home, Inverness is three days away!
“Edinburgh means I’m slightly closer to home. I miss my family but that’s part of the job. I don’t mind being away.”
Asked if seeing the Staggies pushing for Europe was a source of frustration, Clarke said: No. These things happen in football sometimes, you move away from a club, they do really well and maybe the club you go to don’t do as well as you would hope.
“I’ve played at Hampden, I’ve played in big Edinburgh derbies. I’ve not contributed with a trophy or top six but we have next year.”
Interim Hibs boss David Gray has challenged his players to win their last two matches against Dundee and St Johnstone on Sunday to give themselves the best chance of finishing seventh.
And Clarke reckons momentum going into the summer is important.
The 21-year-old reckons Scottish football has been perfect for his development and said: “The quality up here is a lot better than people think down south.
“The people I knew, my family and friends, they’ve all started to get into Scottish football. It’s a great league and more people should get involved.
“For us there’s not really been much change singe David took over. Everyone loves David.
“We’re trying to put points on the board and finish the season strong. That’s been his message since he came in, to continue what we’ve been doing.”