Clarke: We'll Need Everybody to Play Their Part
Tuesday, 13th Oct 2026 09:48 by Kallum Brisset
Town winger Jack Clarke says everyone will have a role to play throughout the season amid fierce competition for places on the Blues’ left wing.
Having spent the majority of last season battling with Jaden Philogene, Town added Daizen Maeda over the summer transfer window to give new manager Gary O’Neil a trio of options to choose from.
All three have featured across the first six Premier League matches this term, with Philogene registering his first league start of the campaign in the Blues’ comeback victory over Fulham on Saturday.
Clarke, who was the club’s top scorer in the Championship last season with 16 goals, notched his maiden top-flight goal as a substitute on the opening day against former side Sunderland.
He was rewarded with successive starts against Crystal Palace and Everton, but returned to his role as an impact substitute to deliver the pinpoint cross for Dara O’Shea’s winner against the Cottagers at the weekend.
With healthy competition for places, Clarke says that is only going to make the forwards hungrier to succeed when given minutes on the pitch.
“We’ve signed a lot of players and everybody we’ve brought in has got quality,” he said. “It’s just about doing the best you can when called upon.
“I’m sure everybody will get an opportunity throughout the season and we’ll need everybody to play a part at some point. It’s just being ready and giving the best version of you when you can.
“It’s just the competitive nature throughout the squad, to be honest. We try to drive every day, so when it comes to the game we can all expect the best version of each other.
“I don’t think it’s anything position-specific because most of the time I’m playing against the right-back in training. I’m trying to get the better of them and they’re trying to get the better of me, and we’re just trying to bring the best versions out of each other.”
On the opposite flank, Abdul Fatawu had been the regular prior to his one-match suspension that meant he missed the clash with struggling Fulham at Portman Road.
Maeda was the man to fill the void on the right-wing in his absence, and while it is expected that the Ghana international will return, there may be other instances where the left-sided trio will need to cover on that side.
Clarke knows he has not had too much success when he has swapped channels, but says he is more than happy to play that role if he were asked to do so by O’Neil.
He said: “Honestly, I don’t know if I’d give the best version of myself everywhere, but I’d play wherever the manager wants me to play at any given opportunity.
“I feel a lot more comfortable on the left. I assume \[Maeda\] does as well, I’m not sure, but if I got asked to play on the right at any point or anywhere else, I’d try to do that for the team.”
One of the standout performers during the Blues’ positive start has been Leif Davis, who has already scored two goals and registered one assist in the opening weeks of the campaign.
Asked whether the current style of play gets the best out of the long-serving left-back, Clarke said: “I wouldn’t say it’s anything that’s been specifically prescribed. I’ve played with Leif for a long, long time, I know what his strengths are, what his qualities are and what he can bring to a team.
“When I get the opportunity to play with him, I’m trying to do the best I can but also play to his strengths a lot more in terms of what I know he wants to do and where he wants to be on the pitch.
“That relationship that we’ve had for such a long time helps us both out when we’re playing because we know what the other person wants to do and it comes quite natural to us.”
Despite only joining the club little more than two years ago, Clarke is one of the more experienced players in the Town dressing room with a large volume of turnover taking place in the subsequent summer windows.
Only Davis, Christian Walton and Jack Taylor have made more appearances than Clarke’s 92 for the Blues, while no other member of the squad has scored more than his 20 goals across all competitions.
As a result, the 25-year-old says he plays his part in ensuring the newer members of the squad are able to settle quickly to enable them to start playing their best stuff on the pitch.
“Everybody who’s been at this club specifically tries to obviously help the new lads that come in,” he said. “Two years ago I was one of those new lads coming in and certain people in the dressing room helped me settle in a little bit quicker.
“You try and do your best for everybody and help people settle as quickly as possible because I know what it’s like to change clubs, relocate, and uplift your family.
“Everybody’s settled well, but we try our best to make everyone feel like they’re at home.”
_Photo: Matchday Images_