End of an era as Tom Clarke leaves Preston North End - a look at the Deepdale retained list

After 237 appearances, 15 goals and one rearrangement of his nose, the PNE skipper has bowed out at Deepdale.

What a tremendous servant he was over seven seasons, what a bargain when you consider Clarke signed on Bosman having barely kicked a ball for a year at Huddersfield.

It was probably the right time for Clarke and North End to give one another a big hug and go their different ways.

Game-time had become less this season for the club captain, although Alex Neil still liked to turn to him when he wanted his battling qualities.

Those opportunities had tended to come at right-back of late rather than in the middle where Patrick Bauer and Ben Davies had set up residence - and where cover was provided by Jordan Storey and Paul Huntington.

Clarke will be wanting a new challenge, using the next few weeks to get fully fit after being troubled by a knee injury of late.

He shouldn't be short of offers even in a climate where clubs are having to tighten their belts to get through the Covid-19 pandemic and all the disruption that has caused.

What the pandemic has done is deny Clarke the send-off he richly deserves from the North End faithful.

For the foreseeable future grounds will be empty, hence no opportunity to step on to the Deepdale pitch one last time and take the applause of the supporters.

Clarke has vowed to come back to say his goodbyes, making that clear in the statement PNE put out to announce his exit.

“I leave on good terms with everyone, which not everyone in the game can say when they move on," said Clarke.

"I look forward to having an opportunity to come back when fans are allowed back inside the ground to say a proper goodbye."

Clarke was described as having 'warrior spirit' by Peter Ridsdale in the leaving statement, which pretty much summed the 32-year-old up.

Ridsdale said: "We are all very sad to see Tom go. He has been a fantastic servant to the football club and we wish him all the very best in his future career.

"He leaves us with some fantastic memories, having been someone who left everything out on the pitch in every single game he played.

“Tom epitomised the warrior spirit needed to succeed as a defender and we look forward to giving him an opportunity to come back and say a proper goodbye to the fans who he has served so well during the past seven years."

Tucked away on the retained list was the news that Paul Gallagher had agreed an extension to his contract to see him through to the end of the season.

Like Clarke, his contract was up on June 30 but he'll be staying until the campaign finishes before having the chance to sit down in the summer and negotiate a new deal.

It was important an agreement was struck with Gallagher, to lose both him and Clarke in one go would not have been good.

Both of them are the glue in the dressing room, the senior figures who have the respect of all their team-mates.

Managers don't want to have to step into the dressing room to sort things out, they want senior players to police it and encourage good habits.

Clarke has done that since the summer of 2013, Gallagher doing likewise after arriving a few months later.

As for the other names on the retained list it was not a surprise to see Michael Crowe, Connor Simpson and Kevin O'Connor on it.

Crowe was fourth choice keeper, Simpson had spent most of the season on loan at Accrington, while O'Connor hadn't pulled on a Preston shirt since December 2017.

More of a surprise was defender Jack Armer's departure after just a season as a professional.

The young lad from Lostock Hall had been loaned to Lancaster City to gain some first-team experience and had done well there - in a similar manner to how Josh Earl had done a couple of years before.

Armer was called back from that loan spell in December to cover a raft of injuries in defence and made the bench for the clash with West Bromwich Albion at Deepdale.

Then he went back to Lancaster in the new year to continue his football education.

Perhaps he's been a victim of North End having to streamline somewhat, a tightening of the belt in these difficult times.

That looks to be the case too with the young lads reaching the end of their second years as scholars.

Ethan Walker has been the only one from that group to have been taken on as a professional, that deal signed last October.

It has meant Tyrhys Dolan, Jimmy Corcoran, Lewis Earl, Tyler Williams, Lincoln McFayden, Brian McManus and Louis Potts among others being let go.

They had shown up well in PNE's run in the FA Youth Cup earlier this year.

Dolan, a tricky No.10, had caught the eye in particular and had been predicted to land a pro deal.

He's set to sign a contract elsewhere in the near future.

Williams and Potts have got themselves fixed up with new clubs, defender Williams - who was on stand-by for the bench against Norwich in the FA Cup in January - with Stalybridge Celtic.

Striker Potts this week signed for Workington AFC.

Not all scholars will be taken on as professionals, that is the reality of football. But Preston having no reserves or Under-23s does make it difficult for players to graduate from the academy.

The youngsters have to be almost first-team ready or be prepared to go down the route of being loaned out to pick up experience.

This is a particularly tough summer to be looking for a new club but hopefully there is somewhere for everyone to go to.