LEE CLARK marks his third anniversary as Town manager this weekend admitting: “We’ve made huge strides on and off the pitch, but we’ve still to achieve the main objective.”
Victory over Bournemouth at the Galpharm tomorrow would take the club closer to their promotion goal and the boss added: “That’s all I’m thinking about.”
Clark has led Town to successive finishes of ninth, sixth and third in League I and is convinced he has the squad to seal a prized top-two finish this time.
And the 39-year-old Geordie says that if and when Town do make the Championship, they’ll be ready to compete at that level too.
“We’ve come a long way since I’ve been here, and that’s down to a lot of hard work by a lot of people,” he said.
“We have assets out there on the pitch and also a solid infrastructure in terms of facilities and commercial activities.
“We’re geared up to compete at a higher level, now it’s down to myself, my staff and my players to make sure we get there.”
Town, desperate to hit back after their 2-0 setback at leaders Charlton, prepared for the Bournemouth clash with a work-out on the Galpharm pitch yesterday.
“We’ve had some excellent sessions this week and it was useful to get a feel of playing in wet and windy conditions at the stadium, because it could be like that tomorrow,” said the boss.
Clark confirmed loan duo Jon Parkin (inset), the Cardiff striker, and Alex Bruce, the Leeds defender, are firmly in the frame.
“I was impressed with what Jon did at Charlton, but the timing of Alex’s signing meant the game cam e just a little too soon for him,” said Clark.
“The gap between that game (the Monday before last) and tomorrow’s match means they have both had time to work on the systems we use.”
Clark also has midfield pair Anton Robinson and Donal McDermott pushing for inclusion against their former club, who are 16th.
