We Can See Clare-ly Now!

By: Stephen Bateman
Date: 03/01/2001

After the confusion surrounding his move to Cheltenham last week, Grimsby's Daryl Clare has been speaking to the press about the reasons for his 11th-hour decision to turn his back on a loan-deal with Lincoln City.

It has emerged that Lincoln boss Phil Stant was reluctant to take the young striker on loan at the weekend, as the Imps fixture with Halifax had been postponed and this would have meant City paying Clare's wages when they felt that it was unnecessary. Upon hearing of Stant's stalling tactics, Robins boss Steve Cotterill swooped for Clare in a late bid which will see him join up with Cheltenham for a one-month loan spell. Cotterill is a former teammate of Town skipper Paul Groves at Burton Albion, and Clare told the Grimsby Evening Telegraph that Groves had played a big part in encouraging him to join up with the west-country outfit: "Paul said it was a well-run club which played good football and that the lads had a brilliant team spirit," said the front-man, who has just returned from a loan period at Northampton. "The skip went on Cheltenham's team coach to a game last season and he said he got a real good feeling about the club. He's been bending my ear about it ever since." The Jersey-born Irish Under-21 international then went on to reveal that initially he was not too thrilled at the prospect of another temporary move: "When Steve rang I wasn't too keen about moving again, but I just want to play. He assured me I would enjoy it at Cheltenham and I'm looking forward to it even though the first game is at Torquay and it will be an eight-hour trip." Clare, who failed to find the net during his spell at the Sixfields Stadium is expected to slot straight into the Robins starting-lineup on Saturday afternoon.

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