Former Glentoran youngster Chris Conn-Clarke has secured his big summer move to Peterborough United and is ready to “stamp my authority” in League One following an incredible season in which he was crowned National League Player of the Year.
The 22-year-old rose through the ranks at The Oval and made his Premiership debut in April 2018—just a few days before a move to Burnley was officially announced—at the age of 16 in a 3-1 loss to Ballinamallard United.
Conn-Clarke attended Turf Moor Academy for a while before moving on to Fleetwood Town, but it wasn’t until he got to Altrincham that he started to play at his best.
Conn-Clarke led Phil Parkinson’s team to the play-offs last season with 23 goals and 12 assists, but Bromley emerged victorious after defeating Solihull Moors in a thrilling penalty shootout at Wembley to secure their place in League Two.
With that, he was awarded the coveted Player of the Year title, following in the footsteps of former champions Paul Mullin of Wrexham and Macaulay Langstaff of Notts County.
Conn-Clarke was reportedly wanted by Wigan Athletic, Portsmouth, and Premier League team Ipswich Town. However, Peterborough won the race to sign him for an alleged £350,000; club chairman Darragh MacAnthony confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that the deal was for a “high six figure sum.” The attacker is now eager to start playing after agreeing to a three-year contract with an option for a further year.
He told the club’s website, “I spoke with the manager; he gave me a fantastic presentation on how he sees me fitting into the team and why he wanted to bring me to the Club.” “After the preseason is over, I’ll set goals and assist targets and work to meet them, but my ultimate goal is to stamp
“You can observe the progress this football team makes in developing young players, and that is my goal.” The manager enjoys dealing with young players, and I have the finest opportunity to develop and advance here.
“I had an incredible experience at Altrincham, but regrettably, our loss in the National League Play-off semifinals left us just short of the finish line. However, I’m eager to get started and am totally focused on doing everything in my power to reach my objectives here at Peterborough United.
Son of the late Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of Manchester United, Darren Ferguson, acknowledges that Peterborough had to fend off strong interest from rival teams in order to acquire Conn-Clarke.
“We are happy to have secured Chris’ services for the upcoming campaign, even though we had to fend off a lot of interest from elsewhere. Chris is a player we have liked for a while,” the manager stated. “He will undoubtedly be a terrific addition for the Club, and he has all the skills necessary to step up to League One level following an incredible season in the National League. I’m excited to collaborate with him.
