'Couldn't live with him' - Journalist blown away by Sunderland ace who 'toyed' with SWFC

Journalist Rob Guest has been left blown away by the recent performance of Sunderland winger Jack Clarke in the club’s League One play-off game.

The Black Cats managed to put themselves within one win of returning to the Championship earlier this week as they drew with Sheffield Wednesday but won on aggregate across the two legs.

After winning the first meeting 1-0, the Black Cats made the return trip to Hillsborough but found themselves 1-0 down on the night thanks to Lee Gregory’s effort in the 74th minute.

However, with time ticking away, Clarke drove forward to set up teammate Patrick Roberts who scored the winner deep into injury time.

While writing about the player for football.london, Guest seemed blown away by the display for the winger, saying he was a ‘constant threat’ throughout the match.

He wrote: “His most important contribution came on Monday evening, however, as he teed up Patrick Roberts for a stoppage-time goal to cancel out Lee Gregory’s strike and send Sunderland to Wembley. It was Clarke at his best as he picked up the ball on the left flank and breezed past his marker to tee up his teammate for a simple finish.

“Clarke was a constant threat for the Wearside club, notably in the second half, as he toyed with the Sheffield Wednesday backline and produced run after run in the final third to give them major issues. The hosts just couldn’t live with him when he was in full flight and he looked more like the player who burst onto the scene at Leeds United following a tough few years in his young career.”

TIF thoughts on Jack Clarke and Sunderland…

Clarke is of course a Tottenham Hotspur player only on loan to the Black Cats. He joined Sunderland back in January and will remain with the club until the end