Captain Clarke hoping for better times ahead

PETER CLARKE . . . "something building"

ATHLETIC captain Peter Clarke is hopeful that the club can do better next time around, after committing his long-term future.

The inspirational skipper - an ever-present this season, having joined from Bury in the summer - will be 37 years old by the time his new contract expires at the end of 2018-19.

But there are no questions over the continuing fitness of the former Southend and Huddersfield man, who has amassed 138 appearances for Blackpool, Bury and Athletic in the last three seasons.

Clarke joins a list that also includes Aaron Amadi-Holloway, Anthony Gerrard, Ollie Banks and Ousmane Fane among players signed up for next season.

"I think it's a real statement of intent," Clarke said. "They've committed their futures like myself and we believe there's something building and hopefully some good times around the corner.

"We believe there's good players in the dressing room and I'm sure come the summer they'll be some more hopefully coming in too.

"But we believe there is a good nucleus here and hopefully given a good full pre-season we can then start to build, so long as we get the hard yards in during the next four or five weeks to make sure we maintain our status in this division."

Clarke hasn't missed a single minute of action in Sky Bet League One this season, scoring five times, and says that the defence as a whole takes pride in a record of only letting in 39 goals in 40 league games so far. "We'll demand of each other and we will demand of those around us to be the best they can be," he added.