MATT Clarke admitted he had ‘a lump in his throat’ on his return to the Redditch United dugout as the Reds left it late to beat Stamford.
Clarke returned to the Valley Stadium following the shock resignation of former boss Tim Flowers and enjoyed a fairytale first game back at the club as Alex Cameron netted a dramatic 96th minute winner.
And Clarke praised Redditch’s supporters for making his return to the club a special occasion.
Clarke said: “I had a lump in my throat, you cannot replicate that feeling you get from the backing of the fans.
“There’s always going to be ups and downs with football fans, one minute they love you and one minute they hate you.
“The reception I got was really special, they know how much this club means to me, it’s been a big part of my life, it’s just incredible to be back.
“It was a special moment walking out but a special moment with the second goal coming so late in the game, I’m just privileged and proud to be back.”
Cameron’s late goal completed a fine second-half comeback after George Atwal cancelled out Jack Duffy’s early opener at the Valley Stadium.
Clarke praised the work for former boss Flowers, who has since become Alvechurch’s new manager, and hopes to add some experience to his squad in the coming weeks.
Clarke added: “I’ve not watched many Redditch games, I’ve not been back here apart from one game, there are some very talented young boys here, we need a little bit of help.
“We need to bring in two or three [players] just to help the young players along the way, we’ve got a little bit of experience, if we can do that then the future is really positive for the group.
“Tim’s done a brilliant job getting them to sixth in the table, if we can build on that then that will stand us in good stead.
“Momentum is key, we want to have fun, I want the players to smile, at half time they looked like a team of ghosts, words were exchanged and the reaction was brilliant.
“When you set standards, I expect everybody to hit the standards achieved previously, the journey is going to be up and down, it’s going to be a rollercoaster.
“We’re here to do positive things, enjoy the journey and see where it takes us.”
