defeat at Cardiff City. He marked his home debut at Field Mill with a goal in a 2–0 victory over Doncaster Rovers. The "Stags" struggled near the foot of the Third Division in 1995–96, rising to mid-table in 1996–97 and 1997–98, before finishing one place outside the play-offs in 1998–99. They then dropped back into the lower half of the table in 1999–2000 and 2000–01 after manager Steve Parkin was replaced by Bill Dearden. While at Mansfield he became a fan favourite, due in part to his high work-rate; he made 173 league and cup appearances for the club, scoring 27 goals. Hartlepool United Clarke was signed to Hartlepool United by Chris Turner in July 2001 on a free transfer, courtesy of the Bosman ruling, but Hartlepool still had to pay £70,000 as he was under 24. He was seen by many as the replacement for Tommy Miller. Clarke originally failed to cement his place in the starting 11 and found himself in and out of the team, making 26 league starts and 9 substitute appearances. However, he still managed to score seven league goals, including a hat-trick in a 7–1 win over Swansea City. The following season was much more successful for Clarke as he played in nearly all of Hartlepool's matches and added another seven goals to his tally in Hartlepool's promotion winning campaign. The arrival of manager Neale Cooper saw Clarke's opportunities in the first team in 2003–04 limited, as Eifion Williams was preferred on the right wing. Clarke only started 23 league matches, but he still managed to make a further 12 substitute appearances. In the 2004–05 season, Clarke suffered a knee injury that prevented him from taking part in any of Hartlepool's league games. He was loaned out to Stockport County — managed by former Hartlepool boss Chris Turner — in order to gain fitness in January, but this was cut short as Clarke picked up another knee problem after just one game. His knee injury caused him to miss the second half of the campaign. In September 2005 Clarke was loaned to Port Vale, but played just two minutes after being utilised as a late substitute by manager Martin Foyle. Despite his return to full fitness being described by manager Martin Scott as a 'massive boost', his appearances were again limited once he returned to Victoria Park. In July 2006 he was loaned to