New Athlone Town captain hopes to guide young brigade

By John Dingle

Athlone Town have been boosted by the arrival of Brendan Clarke for the new season and indeed the hugely experienced goalkeeper has been appointed as team captain.

As Athlone prepare to begin their First Division campaign at home to Finn Harps tonight Friday (kick-off 7.45pm), Clarke said he has been pleased with his first impressions of the club.

“Really positive. From minute one speaking with the manager (Ian Ryan) and the CEO Steven Gray, it’s been excellent. I was made aware of where the club was at and since the takeover it’s been excellent,” said Clarke, who has joined the club from Galway United.

“People come to you with these plans and sometimes you can take it with a pinch of salt, but there’s been a lot of positive developments around the club with the stadium especially. They are putting into action what their words are,” he continued.

Clarke outlined how he arrived at Athlone from his previous club.

“The manager reached out to me at the end of last season. I made the decision that I was going to move on from Galway to be closer to home.

“If someone does me the courtesy of reaching out, then I will happily go and sit down, have a chat. I was really excited at what they had to say”, said the Dubliner.

Looking ahead to the new season, Clarke said: “It’s tough alright because last season the team finished bottom, and the season before they were in the play-offs. The First Division can do that where clubs can fluctuate between success and failure like Athlone have.

“I won’t comment on people who have been here before or results before; that’s nothing got to do with me. This group of players won’t be held hostage to the past.

“It seems like it’s a new club now, there’s clear ambition. “I would have known how Athlone were doing from my years in the league and the trends but as club captain now, I want there to be a respect in the name of Athlone Town on the men’s side.

“The women’s team have been phenomenal in terms of what they are bringing to the town. We have to try and emulate the amount of respect that the women are getting. If we are doing that, we will have a successful season.”

Asked if he will find it strange to be playing in the First Division after being in the top flight, Clarke responded: “No, I have done it before. I left St Patrick’s Athletic to go to Shelbourne in Division One and then went to Galway in 2023 and, luckily enough, we won titles at those clubs, so I know what it takes to be successful.

“Where we are now is in a different position to those clubs so for me it’s about taking bits and pieces of what I’ve learnt in the First Division and passing it on to the younger guys.”

Clarke is pleased with the way training has been going and is not paying much heed to Athlone’s results in the pre-season games.

“You look at the Dundalk game, we got to 70 minutes being really competitive but conceded a penalty and then lost heavily. They’re a Premier Division team and are going to punish you with really good players. They brought on real quality substitutes but there’s so many positive things that you can take out of each game,” said Clarke.

The 40-year-old does not intend this to be his last hurrah on the playing front. “I am not putting any limits on what I can do. My body is feeling good, I feel that I have a lot to contribute to the squad.

“The manager obviously feels that I can come in and perform, not just bringing me in for the experience but for being good at what I do.

“I keep coming back from retirement talks and as long as I feel I can keep contributing positively, I won’t think of retiring,” he said.

And Clarke doesn’t feel any added pressure as team captain.

“Not at all, I suppose it would be the same whether I have an armband on or not; the only difference for me is that I have more media duties and to go up for the coin toss before the game!

“It wouldn’t change how I am in the group or how I perform. I have been incredibly honoured to be given the captaincy,” added Clarke.

*See here for interview with Athlone Town manager Ian Ryan.