Charlton Athletic new boy Harry Clarke: 'I played through a lot of injuries during the promotion years at Ipswich Town'

Centre-back has one major target during his loan spell with the Addicks

Harry Clarke has a simple answer when it comes to what he wants to gain from his Charlton Athletic loan.

Games. As many of them as possible.

The maximum amount that the 24-year-old can play for the Addicks, assuming he is ineligible to face parent club Ipswich Town on April 22, is 21 matches.

Clarke made his debut in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Sheffield United on Saturday, his first competitive appearance since a 2-1 loss at Plymouth Argyle on April 12, when he was temporarily on the Blades’ books. The recurrence of a foot issue ended his loan later that same month.

The defender won back-to-back promotions with the Tractor Boys, his boyhood club, when they reached the Premier League in 2024. Clarke played 39 matches as Kieran McKenna’s side finished runners-up to Leicester City to seal top-flight football.

But it came at a cost.