Friday 11 October 2019 06:48, UK
When Walsall manager Darrell Clarke persuaded namesake James Clarke to link up with him again in the summer and become the club's new captain, he was expecting the reliable defender to bring leadership at the back. What he could not have anticipated are the two incredible goals that have helped win Clarke the League Two player of the month award.
Even Tony Yeboah, that famed scorer of great goals for Leeds, left a month between his Premier League strikes against Liverpool and Wimbledon. Clarke did it in back-to-back weekends. An outrageous overhead kick to win the game against Scunthorpe and then a stunning long-range drive to open the scoring in the victory away to Crawley.
What makes the achievement even more extraordinary is that just over a year ago the 29-year-old centre-back was still waiting for his first professional goal. He registered a couple for his old club Bristol Rovers last season but with three already for his new side this is already the best goalscoring season of his career. Unbelievably, he is currently Walsall's top scorer.
Does he mention that to the lads? "Only every day," Clarke tells Sky Sports.
"Before last season I don't think I had registered a shot on target.
"They are different goals to what you would sort of associate with a centre-back, I guess. To score two goals like that, I just would never have dreamed of scoring them. I never score and the celebrations probably showed that. I have had a lot of questions thrown at me about my celebrations. I was probably more excited about it than anybody else."
Not everything has gone smoothly since Clarke elected to turn down the offer of a new two-year contract with Bristol Rovers to drop down a division and head north to the West Midlands. Walsall, having been relegated from League One last season, found themselves in the bottom four at the end of August but three wins in a row have calmed nerves.
"We had a ropey start but everything is settling now and that showed in September when we gelled and put some really good results together.
"There has been a massive squad change. Fifteen or 16 in and 15 or 16 out so settling in has been easier than you would think because it's a fresh start for everyone. The boys who have stayed from last season are almost in the minority. It is just about having a positive season now. Nobody is getting ahead of themselves. We are barely a quarter of the way through."
Bristol remains home but he is "basically living up here" now having made the move with Stuart Sinclair, another long-time favourite of the manager. The pair have already won promotions under Clarke at both Salisbury and Bristol Rovers. That's why, while his boss says he didn't expect to convince the defender to join him once more, the man himself sees it differently.
"I am surprised he said that because he knows how much I enjoy working with him," says Clarke. "It's been five or six seasons we have been together now and it's a massive selling point with the gaffer being here. It's probably the main reason why I came, to be honest.
"I have witnessed first-hand what he can do. He is a very modern manager, very ambitious and he always builds a good changing room which is what you want to be a part of."
Clarke is more than a part of it right now. Defender. Captain. Top scorer. League Two player-of-the-month winner. And maybe there's another goal or two to come? "It would be nice to score a few more," he adds.
But even he knows he will be unlikely to top the last two.
