'It was a case of' - Preston North End legend reflects on his 2020 exit as one wish outlined

Ex-Preston North End captain Tom Clarke admits it was extremely tough leaving the club during Covid, in 2020.

An instant hit at Deepdale after his winning goal against Blackpool, Clarke went on to make just shy of 250 appearances in seven years with PNE. He captained the club to promotion from League One, at Wembley, in the 2014/15 campaign. Hailed as 'Skip', Clarke was a fan favourite from start to finish at Preston and he's now looked back on his exit under Alex Neil.

He told PNE Pod: "Yeah, it was difficult - really difficult. It was a strange time for everyone. Covid hit and Championship football went back. So, we went back for a mini pre-season, did that; the club and my agent were speaking - but those talks went a little bit quiet. It was a case of sitting down with Alex Neil and seeing where we were at. I sort of had to think about long-term, really.

"I'd had a lot of injuries and it was a case of trying to prolong my career. With Preston sort of umming-and-ahing whether to do anything and having to go out there and something maybe happen - then Preston offer me nothing and not being able to go anywhere else. It was a very difficult period of time. I sat down with my family and just tried to make the best decision for us - we had a young family and it was the best thing for me to prolong my career really."

On the overwhelming reaction from the fans, he said: "Yeah, ridiculous. The fans have been absolutely brilliant with me. I cannot thank them enough. My best period was there - my kids growing up and seeing me play there. It wasn't an easy decision. I sat in the room a lot, thinking and debating what to do. It wasn't a case of me holding out for a better club to come in, it was prolonging my career for an extra three years - which I did - knowing my knee wasn't great. I didn't want to be at Preston, outstaying my welcome. I just didn't want it to end like that."

Clarke was reluctant to depart, but left with many happy North End memories. One wish he did have, though, was that he could've played for Neil at an earlier age. The Scot had Preston on the cusp of the play-offs for a lot of his time in charge and Clarke - who was valued highly as a senior pro - found his time under Neil refreshing.

"He was, tactically, really good - dragging you around on one of those big TVs," said Clarke. "And I wish I'd have played under Alex a little bit younger. I was around 30 when he arrived. I'd have learned so much, but it was still also good to have that old school mentality of how it was back then. So yeah, I was fortunate to come through and see both, really."