Tom Clarke will have major influence at Fleetwood Town says boss Simon Grayson

The 33-year-old once again links up with Grayson, having previously won promotion under him at Huddersfield Town and Preston North End.

Having evaluated his squad after a number of exits, Grayson wasted no time in signing Clarke when he was available.

He said: “I looked at the squad and we let quite a lot of experienced players go.

“Glenn Whelan, Mark Duffy, Charlie Mulgrew, Josh Morris and Paddy Madden –they were all in their 30s.

“We’ve got a young group with James Hill, Harrison Holgate and others that have been around the first team – but we also have players in their mid-20s with a lot of games under their belts, so that counts for good experience.

“You can never have too many good types around your building, both on the pitch and around the dressing room.

“Tom Clarke certainly fitted into that category and I was delighted to have got him. I was very surprised that he left Salford in the first place.

“I thought it was great for Tom to come to our club and help develop players that play in his position but also the other lads as well who might need a little guidance along the way.

“If you throw into the mix that Brad Halliday and Max Clark have played a lot of football and are really good types that you want in your dressing room, I’m really pleased with them.”

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