GOING DUTCH
a really good goal in that game. In the second replay, it was
Graeme Souness who got our winner as everyone knows."
In total, Clarke scored 155 goals in 228 matches for our
youth and reserve sides between 1969 and 1973. He made his
one and only appearance for our first team as a substitute
in our 1-1 draw with Leicester City on 21 April, 1973.
"I remember coming on for Alan Gilzean with about 15
minutes remaining," smiles Clarke. "It was a great occasion
for me. I remember coming off the pitch at the end and Bill
Nicholson asking me 'how did you find that Clarkey?'to which
I replied, 'yes boss, it was good'!
"Having done well for the youth and reserve teams, it
eventually came to a point for me at Spurs where I thought
'where do I go from here'. I remember speaking to Bill
Nicholson, who offered me a new contract at one stage. He
came back to me a few weeks later though and said a number
of clubs had made enquiries about me and said maybe the
best thing for me would be to go and play regular, first team
football. I left Spurs with a heavy heart... I didn't really want
to go but I agreed with Bill. I knew I needed to go and play."
Clarke signed for Swindon Town in 1973, briefly playing
under our former Double-winning striker Les Allen, who
was manager at the County Ground at that time. A broken
ankle restricted the forward to just 14 league appearances
for the Robins prior to joining Mansfield in the summer of
1974. The Stags won the old Fourth Division title in his debut
season, with Clarke scoring 30 goals in 53 appearances in
all competitions as he was named in the PFA's divisional
Team of the Year.
"Mansfield was the making of my career in many respects,"
surmises Ray, who departed Field Mill for Dutch side Sparta
Rotterdam in 1976, having scored 59 goals in 111 matches
for the Stags.
Clarke netted 35 times in 65 Eredivisie matches prompting
then-manager Cor Brom to take the striker with him to Ajax
when he landing the top job at the Amsterdam club in the
summer of 1978. The forward only spent one season at De
Meer but became a cult hero amongst Ajax supporters,
scoring 38 goals in 44 matches as the Amsterdamers won
both the Eredivisie title and the KNVB Cup in 1978/79.
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