The
sight of Ryan Clarke between the goalposts has become a familiar and
reassuring one over recent years. His quiet, calm demeanour, assured
performances and perennial presence in goal throughout his three
seasons at the club have made Clarke our Mr Reliable. That is, of
course, until now. In the latter stages of our roller-coaster Easter
Monday clash with Torquay, Clarke appeared to be visibly carrying an
injury and ended the game by parrying what appeared to be a routine
save into his own net. Clarke's fitness was an issue of concern
throughout the build-up to the Gillingham match, with our fears being
confirmed
on the morning of the match. Clarke was to miss his first league game
for years.
His
replacement, Wayne Brown, had not exactly covered himself in glory in
his previous outing, getting sent off after just 14
minutes as United bowed out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy to
Southend. Any nagging anxieties were soon put to rest, however, once
the match was under way. Brown put in an assured performance to keep
a clean sheet, organising his defence well and launching several
attacks through his pinpoint distribution. With some unofficial
reports (ie rumours) suggesting that Clarke may miss the rest of the
season, it seems that Brown will be the man between the sticks for
the end of the season, so with that in mind here is a quick profile
of our 'new' goalkeeper.