Clark fears loss of stars at Spartans
BLYTH Spartans manager Lee Clark believes he will do well to hold on to some of his rising stars.
None more so than Callum Roberts, who came through the ranks at Newcastle before his release this year.
The 22-year-old wide man has scored hat-tricks on consecutive weekends in a side that has been struggling.
If he joined Blyth to showcase his talents at a lower level and put himself in the shop window then it has been a wise move.
Roberts, who is being monitored by several clubs, played under Clark on loan from Newcastle at SPLF club Kilmarnock in 2017.
He also played briefly in the Football League on loan at Colchester United, and played cup games for Newcastle.
Blyth will not receive a fee should the goalscoring wide man move back into the professional game as he is on non-contract terms.
Clark said: “We did well to get Roberts to join Blyth as he is more than capable of playing at a higher level.
“He’s got us seven goals over the course of a few weeks and is just on a different level.
“The problem we have now is, because we have players that are attracting attention, keeping them at the club.
“That is the reality, unfortunately. But while we’ve got them, we’re getting the best out of them and we’ve got quality.”
On the plus side, Clark has intimated that his bottom-of-thetable squad will be further strengthened.
“In the next couple of weeks we’re hoping to add even more quality to the team.
“That is in terms of experience and the level the players have played at, to make us even better.”
A rejuvenated Blyth will look to stretch their unbeaten run to four games at Hednesford Town in the FA Cup on Saturday.