JAMIE Clarke says being part of Crossmaglen’s squad again “feels like home”.
The globe-trotting forward, who has rejoined his native Rangers in time for the Ulster club championship final against Monaghan’s Scotstown, describes the south Armagh kingpins as “like a disease”. If it is, he doesn’t have a cure.
Clarke featured in one early game as Cross won a now obligatory county title but missed the rest of the campaign. Despite returning home from New York it had been confirmed that he wouldn’t feature in the Ulster championship but the lure of the black and amber jersey proved too strong and Clarke was on the substitutes’ bench last Sunday as Crossmaglen made light work of Down champions Kilcoo.
“There’s something about Cross – it’s like a disease,” he said.
“It’s difficult to stay away. I’m playing with all my best friends and I won underage medals the whole way up with them.
“Coming back in it feels like home, the boys put their arm around you and that’s what it’s all about. I feel at home now back in the panel.”
Clarke has returned to a Crossmaglen side that put their struggles in the early rounds of the Armagh championship behind them by hammering Pearse Og in the county final and then seeing off Antrim’s Cargin at the Ulster quarter-final stage. Their four-point win against Kilcoo confirmed their place in the provincial final after a two-year gap.
“It’s nice to be back and the boys are going very well,” said Clarke.
“In fairness to John (McEntee) and Oisín (McConville), they have said this before that it is my club as much as theirs and I suppose that's what really hits home to what this all means.
“To be honest, sitting there watching, usually I would be very disappointed (not to be playing) but I was very proud watching the lads there today.
“It just shows you that the club is bigger than anyone, it's bigger than any one person and I’m delighted to be back in another Ulster final. We will have a tough day the next day against Scotstown, so we have two weeks to prepare for that.”
The welcome he received from the management and his team-mates has struck a chord with Clarke who never played in a losing team in Ulster until last year when Crossmaglen were knocked out by Omagh St Enda’s.
“It says a lot about them, with the work they put into it,” he said.
“They know what we have achieved up through underage and stuff. So they have done it all before and they know that we are all still part of the community and part of the club.
“They are proud. They want to keep everything going in the right direction and even if you make mistakes, you will always get a second chance. Ultimately, they believe in you and that's the main thing.”
He is determined to win his place back in the starting 15 for the Ulster final and he knows that it won’t be easy. Things move on quickly in Cross and Oisin O’Neill, the latest star to come off the club’s talent production line, started against Kilcoo while Clarke, Johnny Murtagh (scorer of a crucial goal against Cargin) and others sat on the bench.
“Absolutely,” he said when asked if he hoped to start the final.
“But you can see that we have a lot of options there, most importantly. And the good thing is that everybody is backing each other, there is no cliques within the team.
“We just push each other on and I think that is the most important thing - the boys that came on in the last few minutes, including myself, it's up to ourselves to show a bit of leadership and push everyone else on.”
