Clark hopes for Euro trip to celebrate new contract

NICKY CLARK spent too long striving to make it to the Scottish Premiership to swap that for a return to the lower leagues — and he has set his sights on cracking Europe after agreeing a new contract at Dundee United.

The 29-year-old spent much of last week being linked with a move across Tannadice Street to city rivals Dundee, but insists he was delighted to agree a two-year extension with United ahead of Saturday’s stalemate at Hamilton.

Clark’s ten goals this season — eight on league business — have played their part in taking United to sixth in the table in their first campaign back in the top flight, and the fact that fifth place could secure a spot in UEFA competition for next term is a great incentive to keep pushing for more.

Clark was part of the Rangers side that won the Championship in 2016, but he left Ibrox that summer and hadn’t been involved in top-level football until securing promotion with his current club last term.

Helping return United to the European stage they graced in their glory years and taking his own career to a new stage is already on the agenda as his next ambition.

‘Yes definitely, that’s our aim,’ said Clark, being used in more of a midfield role by manager Micky Mellon of late. ‘We want to finish as high as possible.

‘We know it’s going to be tough and a lot of teams are aiming for that as well, but we just have to concentrate on ourselves.

‘I think we did perform well against Hamilton, dominating the majority of the game, and as long as we keep doing that I’m sure we’ll be all right.’

Championship promotion hopefuls Dundee were said to be keen on securing Clark on a pre-contract, but the player himself insists the interest did not develop into anything concrete.

‘The Dundee thing all happened kind of quickly,’ he said. ‘I didn’t know anything about it until I saw it in the press. Then the club got it (the new deal) done very quickly and I really wanted to stay here anyway, so I was delighted.

‘It took longer than I wanted to get into the Premiership, so I didn’t want to give it up and move away. I’ve loved every minute here and playing in the top league is great.’

United have a fair argument to back up claims they were the better side in a passable yet patchy encounter at the Fountain of Youth Stadium and found themselves denied by an excellent save from fit-again home goalkeeper Ryan Fulton in 25 minutes.

Ian Harkes got his head to a Dillon Powers cross and must have felt the gods were against him when Fulton got a hand to the ball from point-blank range and sent it looping on to the roof of the net.

‘It was an important save,’ said the 24-year-old keeper. ‘I was trying to get across the goal and once he headed it, it was just a case of trying to get my hand to the ball.

‘I got lucky, but I also got a strong hand to it and the wind helped blow it over the bar.’

Despite having conceded more goals than any other side in the Premiership, Accies have racked up three clean sheets in their last four games and had some solid performers at the weekend in 18-year-old Jamie Hamilton, Aaron Martin, Brian Easton and defensive midfielder Hakeem Odoffin, who made two crucial interventions in his own box late on.

Fulton believes they have created a strong foundation which Accies can build on as they endeavour to get themselves away from the relegation zone.

‘Right at the start of the season, we conceded far too many goals, but our recent form has been a little better all over the pitch, everywhere from front to back,’ he said.

‘We’ve certainly been better defensively, but there’s no secret to our improvement. We’ve gone back to basics and made ourselves hard to beat again.

‘We had chances against United, which we didn’t take, but the biggest thing for us is not to concede because then you can’t lose.’