Marko Relishes Clyde Challenge
Fifteen years ago, Mark McLaughlin helped guide Clyde to the second flight of Scottish football. Now, following 14 years in the top two tiers in Scotland, the big defender is back at Broadwood and once again looking to take Clyde back up the league structure.
McLaughlin, who has captained Hamilton and Morton since he last pulled on a Bully Wee strip, this week put pen to paper on an 18-month deal and he is now looking to experience another Clyde promotion.
Mark joined Dumbarton last January and quickly established himself as one of the first names on Ian Murray’s team sheet, playing a key role in helping the Sons to a fifth place finish in the Championship. This season, the centre half didn’t feature as regularly and was keen to move on. Unsurprisingly, he had a number of offers, however, when a club so close to his heart and a manager he instantly took to came calling, Mark knew it was time to come home to Broadwood.
The fans’ favourite spoke exclusively to the official website today:-
“I had a few options but Clyde is a club I was at for years and I loved my time here,” he said. “I liked what the gaffer had to say, what his plans were and his ambitions for the club.
“There is a challenge here. It’s not a case of just coming in at the other end of my career, it is a case of coming in, facing a challenge and trying to get this club back up the leagues. That is something I’m looking forward to and hopefully we can do it.
“I liked what Barry and Bob had to say – it wasn’t a case of ‘We want you to come in and sign’ and that was it, they had a plan to try and get the club up the leagues. They were talking about the future of the club and it wasn’t just a case of looking at the next six months.
“They have a plan in place and that intrigued me and made me think about dropping down a level. It will also be fitting if I do finish my career here, as it is back at my first senior club.
“The gaffer wants to get the club back to where it once was; back to the Championship. It’s going to be hard, it’s never easy to get up the divisions but it is something him and Bob are keen to do, as am I.”
While Mark knows promotion will not be easy, he has been impressed with what he has seen in the squad and believes the club has strengthened well this month. He continued: “At training last night there were a lot of good players there and I was very impressed with the set up. Hopefully I can help them progress and climb the table.
“The gaffer has obviously also signed Steven McDougall and Shuggy Murray which for me are two great signings.
“I was very impressed with the standard. The boys work their socks off but, speaking to Bob and the gaffer, there is maybe a lack of confidence and experience when they go a goal behind and that is up to myself, Shug and Dougs to try and change the mentality and help the boys to keep fighting after a setback.”