Courtney Clarke joins South Shields

South Shields FC are delighted to announce the signing of midfielder Courtney Clarke.

The 20-year-old spent three years with Derby County and has joined the Mariners after impressing during training sessions.

Clarke appeared as a substitute in the pre-season friendly against Gateshead at 1st Cloud Arena during his time as a trialist.

He is in contention to make his debut for Shields in Saturday’s National League North trip to Boston United.

Clarke said: “I’m very happy to be here.

“Everyone has welcomed me so well and were pushing for me to get over the line, because they were enjoying me being here and I was enjoying it too.

“I’ve been training here for two weeks and really wanted to sign, because I’ve loved my time at the club and want to show people what I can do.

“It’s a great club to be involved with and I was aware of South Shields even when I was at Derby.

“Other teams were interested and some people said I should stay near London, but the North East is where football is loved more than anywhere.”

South Shields manager Julio Arca said: “Courtney is another talented player who we are very pleased to have on board.

“He has a lot of potential and has been doing really well over the last few weeks in training sessions. He is very hungry to do well and very coachable.

“Courtney is comfortable to play in several roles in the middle of the park, regardless of the shape we play, and is committed to get better.

“We really look forward to working with him.”