Wednesday manager Brian Laws made Clarke his first permanent signing. The striker will aim to repay his faith with goals
A product of the Wolves academy, Clarke made his first-team debut against Darlington in September 2003, but his breakthrough had to wait until the following season when he netted eight times in 31 appearances for the club.
Big and strong, with blistering pace and a direct style of play, great things were expected of Clarke, but his early potential was never really fulfilled under manager Mick McCarthy and after loan spells at QPR and Plymouth, Clarke joined Wednesday for £300,000 in January 2007.
Sent on loan to Oldham before he’d really got his feet under the table, he bagged three goals in five games and followed that up with eight in 16 games for Southend in late 2007, before returning to Hillsborough, where he scored in his last two games of the season.