resolved. On 3 January 2009, Clarke scored a last-minute headed equaliser against Chelsea, a team challenging for the Premier League title, in an FA Cup Third Round tie. BBC journalist Phil McNulty called it a "career-defining moment" for Clarke in a piece about the "magic" of the FA Cup. Clarke built up a strong defensive partnership with young Frenchman Dorian Dervite. However chairman Ron Martin told the press that Clarke had snubbed talks of extending his contract beyond the summer,. despite the club's wish to keep hold of the player. Clarke denied this and stated that "I'm just waiting for him [Martin] to come and speak to me". Following the club's eighth-place finish, Clarke was voted the club's Player of the Season for the 2008–09 season by both fans and players. Huddersfield Town In June 2009, Clarke announced that he had agreed a three-year contract with League One side Huddersfield Town. He stated that he believed he was taking career to a higher level by securing the switch from Southend to Huddersfield. In doing so he rejected an offer from Charlton Athletic. The following month manager Lee Clark appointed Clarke as club captain. He made his debut in a 2–2 draw against Southend United at Roots Hall on 8 August. He scored his first goal for the "Terriers" ten days later in a 7–1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Galpharm Stadium. On 14 November, Clarke added two more goals in a 6–0 win over Wycombe Wanderers. He also scored the winning goal in Huddersfield's 1–0 home win over Millwall. He was named Player of the Season for Huddersfield. He captained Huddersfield to a sixth-placed finish in League One, securing a play-off semi-final spot after playing in all 46 league games. They lost out 2–0 to Millwall at the semi-final stage. In 2010–11 Clarke led his side to a third-place finish, again an ever-present in the first eleven, starting and finishing all league games. He was rewarded with a new three-year contract, keeping him at the club until summer 2014. This time they made it into the play-off final, where they were beaten 3–0 by Peterborough United. Clarke was made Town's Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, and was also made PFA Fans' Player of the Year for League One. During the 2011–12 season Clarke was limited to 31 league appearances for the terriers due