Clarke Leads By Exam

Saddlers skipper seeks to inspire...

- Luke Baker

JAMES Clarke has never really thought of himself as captaincy material but with the Walsall armband thrust upon him, he’s certainly making his mark.

For a man who “fell into the role” this summer, the defender has certainly taken his responsibilities seriously – calling a ‘players only’ meeting last month that helped spark an upturn in form.

A run of six straight losses heading into November necessitated something drastic, especially after manager Darrell Clarke labelled the team mentally soft and weak-minded.

So, the skipper gathered the squad together – without the boss present – and a subsequent run of three wins and two draws in all competitions signifies steady improvement.

“A few home truths were said amongst us,” said the defender. “It livened a few of us up – we got back to basics and played to our strengths, not our weaknesses.

“We managed to grind out a few decent results from it. It has to come from within us as players sometimes, it can’t always come from the manager.