Read Dave Seddon’s PNE pressview: Departing Tom Clarke has been a warrior for Preston

An end of an era came on Tuesday night when it was announced Tom Clarke had left Deepdale after a sterling seven years’ service.

If game-time over the last 12-15 months was being used as a yard stick, his departure might not have come as too much of a surprise.

But in terms of what Clarke had done at PNE, the leadership he offered and how big a figure he was in the dressing room, him leaving caused a seismic wave.

The messages of support and thanks poured in from fans and team-mates alike, emphasising just how much he was appreciated.

Something that united all the well-wishers was the fact that the current Covid climate prevents us saying a proper goodbye to Clarke.

‘Not this way’ was the quote from Preston winger Tom Barkhuizen and that best summed things up.

Closed doors football will prevent a guard of honour and a deserved standing ovation from the Deepdale faithful.

He’ll get that honour one day but not yet – good things come to those who wait.

Clarke was much-loved pretty much from day one at North End – scoring the winner against Blackpool in your second appearance pretty much ensures hero status in a PR postcode.

He could have finished there and not have to buy a drink in Preston ever again but that header on August 5, 2013, was the start of it for the defender at Deepdale.

His signing was regarded as an unremarkable one, a steady defender following Simon Grayson over the Pennines from Huddersfield.

That goal against Blackpool propelled Clarke into a different stratosphere and his stock among the PNE faithful grew rapidly.

It wasn’t too long before Clarke was named skipper and he led with authority in the dressing room.

One of the well-wishers on social media this week was John Welsh, the man who had the armband before him.

When North End climbed the steps to the Royal Box at Wembley in May 2015, Clarke insisted Welsh lift the League One play-off final trophy with him.

Something like that says it all doesn’t it?

The words which came out of the PNE dressing room this week from his current colleagues, were heartfelt.

There is a genuine sadness that Clarke is going and the majority of the squad haven’t known North End without him being there.

Only Paul Huntington, Ben Davies and Declan Rudd in his first loan spell, were Preston players before the arrival of Clarke.

For the rest, Clarke will have been their skipper, their leader since the day they first reported for training at Springfields.

Alex Neil likes the players to police the dressing room themselves, as did Grayson before him.

That is where senior players step up to the plate, making sure problems are dealt with in-house as far as they can.

Clarke pulled on a Preston shirt 247 times, the first time against Wolves two days before the Blackpool game.

The last of those 247 appearances was when Millwall won at Deepdale on February 15.

Putting the ball in the Blackpool net and skippering PNE at Wembley had to be the highlights but there were plenty of other big moments for a Yorkshireman who won the hearts of us Lancashire folk.

I particularly enjoyed his last-gasp winner against Cardiff between Christmas and New Year 2017.

Clarke headed home the game’s only goal after an effort from centre-half partner Paul Huntington had been pushed out by the Bluebirds keeper.

Off went Clarke on a run towards the small pocket of PNE fans who had made the long trip to South Wales, the sheer delight on his face there for all to see.

He found a liking for scoring at Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium – two goals in two visits.

The first was a volley from the tightest of angles, his Marco Van Basten moment as someone dubbed it.

Clarke’s second at Burton nearly a year later was shortly after coming back from a ruptured Achilles tendon which had kept him out of action for the best part of seven months.

Perhaps a game which best summed-up his warrior nature was the 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough at Deepdale in November 2018.

Going up for a high ball with his former team-mate Jordan Hugill, Clarke’s nose and the back of Hugill’s head met forcibly.

After a nose bleed was stemmed and he changed shirts, he was back on to play the remaining minutes.

This wasn’t any routine bang on the nose.

He had badly damaged the cartilage in his nose and in the days which followed resembled something out of a horror movie.

For the remainder of that season Clarke became the man in the mask, a fibre glass protection which was specially made for him in the Czech Republic.

The way this season has been stretched into the summer months, means Clarke is not alone in leaving a club before the campaign has ended.

Any other year, the season ends some weeks before contracts are due to end and players can leave properly with a clean break.

I would guess that at most Championship clubs, players have bid their farewells with eight games to be played.

It is just an unfortunate circumstance forced on them by the long stoppage in play.

Hopefully, Clarke gets himself sorted out with a new club and when the chance arises, he returns to Deepdale to say goodbye properly.

Players can sometimes get forgotten a bit too easily after doing so well for a club.

Clarke deserves to be in the minds of PNE fans for many years to come.

North End were getting on a firmer footing in League One when he arrived, his exit seven years later coming as they challenge for a play-off place in the Championship.