“Over the moon”

New signing Matt Clarke is ‘over the moon’ to have joined Reds from Bradford Park Avenue.

The 20-year-old, who plied his trade for Penrith last season, can play anywhere on the right-hand side and will add depth to Danny Grainger’s squad following a perfect Northern Premier League start.

Shortly after getting the paperwork done, Clarke discussed the move, saying:

I’m over the moon to finally get it sorted. It’s taken a few weeks so I’ve been keeping my fitness up at home.

Reds’ stellar start helped convince Clarke to make the move to Borough Park, explaining how three wins out of three games were a factor.

It just shows the ambition of the club that they want to go straight back up, which was obviously very appealing to me.

With competition rife within the group,  winger or full back is confident that his versatility can help him break into the starting XI but is aware of the challenges.

I think it does help. I’ve seen the lads come out of the blocks very fast, so it’ll be tough for me to get in but I’ll just have to work hard in training.

Clarke has already had Northern Premier League experience with Kendal Town, and knows what the league is all about despite his young age.

It’s a league that I know well, and I know the capabilities of players, so hopefully that’ll help me.

Although it’s unknown whether the former Park Avenue man will be involved in Saturday’s trip to City of Liverpool, Reds are looking to make it four opening league wins for the first time since 2003.