Huddersfield Town 2, Blackpool 0

Jan 16 2006 By Mel Booth, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

EIGHTEEN months ago Tom Clarke was kicking a ball around on the street with his mates.

Now, he's on the road to stardom.

With talent to match his confidence, Clarke has already made his mark as a centre-back in the England Youth set-up and with Town in League I.

In the space of eight days, however, the 18-year-old has proved against Chelsea, Scunthorpe United and Blackpool that his game might just be made for midfield.

He was awsome at the Galpharm on Saturday - winning tackles, passing well and making those driving runs which defenders just hate to pick up.

Clarke scored his first senior goal, too, to end 343 agonising minutes without a strike on home soil for Town and give them the confidence to dominate the game.

Not surprisingly, elder brother Nathan was one of the first there to congratulate him on completing a family double - Nathan's first Town goal also came against the Seasiders at the stadium in September 2001.

Preferred to the likes of Mark Hudson and Michael Collins in the centre, Tom made sure Town chalked their first League win in nine attempts to move back up into third place with a stirring show of effort and skill.

Never frightened to attack either with the ball or off it, the youngster also anchored the second-half grafting which finally paid off with a second goal 18 minutes from time.

Following a neat build-up down the right, it was returning skipper Jon Worthington who this time made the burst into the box, cruelly halted by a clumsy challenge from right-back Marc Joseph, who'd been switched inside.