Influential skipper Jamie Clarke admits that he is feeling a little bit humbled after winning four awards at Holbeach United’s end-of-season bash.
Clarke picked up the top scorer, supporters’ player of the year, the clubman award and also social club first team player of the year at the Tigers presentation evening on Saturday.
The other first-team prizes saw Gary King named players’ player and club stalwart Matt Warfield collect the manager’s player prize after getting the nod from chief Darren Jarvis.
But it was Clarke who walked out of the Tigers Social Club event with the most silverware – and he’s not ruling out the idea of staying at Carter’s Park next term.
He said: “I’ll be honest, it was a bit of a surprise to win all of those awards. At my age, you don’t expect to be getting anything like that.
“It’s a real honour for me, especially as Holbeach are a club that I’ve got a lot of time and respect for.
“The fans and committee have really stood by me – and although showing a bit of loyalty towards a club should be expected, it feels great to have that loyalty rewarded.
“I only came to the club in September, but I do feel settled here. Playing for Holbeach has certainly brought the best out of me.
“I’m not sure what will happen next season, but I’m certainly open to the idea of staying at the club. If it was just down to football, I’d stay – no doubt about it.
“Travelling is my only real concern. I’ll sit down with (boss) Darren Jarvis and (number two) Tom Roberts in a few weeks and we’ll see what happens.
“For now, I just want to switch off for a while and spend some time with my family.”
Based in Loughborough, Clarke has around a 140-mile round-trip to Carter’s Park for home games. He also works in Derbyshire, so midweek matches can prove problematic for the former
Blackburn Rovers, Accrington Stanley, Rotherham United, Lincoln City and Boston United ace.
Despite racking up more miles than most, Clarke was one of the few players to remain loyal to the Tigers following the resignations of bosses Graham Drury and John Chand towards the end of the season.
Holbeach had been bang in the mix for a UCL Premier Division double before the co-managers quit, but were left depleted following the exits of key players.
After a turbulent few weeks, new boss Jarvis turned things around and steered the Tigers to a fourth-placed finish – a feat Clarke was proud of.
“What happened was a real shame,” added the striker. “I know it happens a lot in football, but I do feel the club was let down a little.
“I felt very strongly that I should set an example and stay at the club. Yes, it was a turbulent time and we had some very poor results.
“But the new management team blooded players from the youth and reserve teams and we turned it around to finish very respectably.”
Another person that stayed loyal to Holbeach last season was popular physio Carol Holland.
She received a special club award, thanking her for her dedication throughout the campaign.
- Other Holbeach United award winners: Young player of the season – Dan Worthington. Reserve team managers’ player of the season – Glen Wells. Reserve team players’ player – Glen Wells. Reserve team top scorer – Paul Newcombe. Reserve team supporters’ player – Jordan Keeble. Most improved player – John Smith. ‘A’ team most improved player (shared) – Si Howard, Jake Scampion and Alex Finch. ‘A’ team most improved player – Ryan Howard. ‘A’ team players’ player (shared) – Dexter Facey and Sam Young.
