Jordan Clark saw two former team-mates go on to superstardom as he learned his trade in the lower leagues – but says his experience at the other end of football made him more determined to succeed with Luton.
The 26-year-old joined Town on a free last week after his Accrington Stanley contract expired, ending a four-year spell at the League One club.
Now he’s back in the Championship, nine years after making his bow as a boy for Barnsley.
While with the Tykes, Clark played with Jon Stones and an on-loan Kieran Trippier, who went on to play in the Premier League. Stones moved to Everton and then made a £47.5million switch to Manchester City, while Trippier made his name at Tottenham Hotspur via Burnley and is now at Atletico Madrid.
Both defenders have won England caps, with the La Liga player even scoring in a World Cup semi-final.
Clark said: “Jon and Kieran, they’ve gone on to superstardom, but it’s not for the lack of hard work.
“Jon, when he got into the Barnsley squad, he was probably the best player of every week, so consistent and that’s probably why he’d doing as well as he is.
“It was no shock to me. Obviously, I’ve taken a different path and taken a lot longer to get where I want to be, but I’m so hungry to improve and be successful in this division (the Championship).”
It’s been a long road back to the second tier after Clark’s trajectory took him in the opposite direction, moving first to League Two Shrewsbury, after three different loan spells, and then Accrington, who he helped pip Luton to the fourth tier title in 2018.
The midfielder said: “Obviously, it didn’t work out for me and I had to go down the lower leagues, which was tough, but I think it’s made me grow up as a player as a person.
“It made me mature a lot and gaining experience of playing every week, playing for clubs and playing for clubs and points that matter so much to clubs. It gave me that experience to play and to showcase what I’m about.”
Clark joined his new team-mates on Monday for the start of pre-season and said: “(They) made me feel very welcome, keeping all the lads from last season, which is massive for the club, they want to kick on this season with myself included, which I’m really looking forward to.
“And the team spirit’s great, and I’m sure it will make for a really ambitious season and we’ll do everything we can to win as many games as possible and strive for as high as we can which is what you’ve got to do.”
