Portsmouth's Matt Clarke on knocking out his team-mate's teeth, drones, and Wembley
Watch Portsmouth's Sky Bet League One clash at Charlton on Saturday evening live on Sky Sports Football
Thursday 7 March 2019 08:57, UK
Matt Clarke speaks to Sky Sports News reporter Gary Cotterill ahead of Portsmouth's trip to Charlton on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Football, as the race for promotion from Sky Bet League One hots up...
Matt Clarke has a very sore head.
He needed 12 stitches after a painful clash with team-mate Nathan Thompson in last Saturday's 5-1 win over Bradford.
But it was Thompson who came off worse.
He's in need of dental surgery after losing several teeth, but Clarke remains on course to make his 47th appearance of the season on Saturday.
"There was a lot of blood on my part, but when there's teeth involved it's never nice," Clarke told Sky Sports News.
"It's just one of those things - two defenders desperate to clear the ball. Nathan's teeth are sore, but I'm alright now."
Before seeing stars, Clarke and the rest of Fratton Park saw a drone. It hovered above the stadium during the second half against Bradford, forcing the referee to abandon play for several minutes.
"I think it's a first for everyone," Clarke said.
"The game stopped and people began looking up to the sky. Before you know it, the players were looking up and watching this drone fly about. The trouble is the fans in the Fratton End couldn't see it, so I had no idea what was going on."
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Portsmouth had been flying high themselves.
They were top of the table at the turn of the year, but a run of eight league games without a win has seen them drop to fourth.
Clarke, who attracted interest from a number of Championship clubs in January, hopes the victory against Bradford marks a turning point.
"There's a number of reasons why you don't win games, and once you don't win one it can fester into two or three and then out of nowhere becomes a bad run without you really doing much wrong," added the 22-year-old.
Next up is a trip to The Valley to face fifth-placed Charlton on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Football.
But looking further ahead, Portsmouth will play Sunderland at a packed Wembley Stadium in the EFL Trophy final at the end of March.
"It's massive for the club and massive for all involved because what's staggering is you can speak to some really experienced lads who've had really good careers but have never been to Wembley," he said.
"That's why all the lads are looking forward to it."
