‘Settled’ Reggae Boy pleased with golden boot form

LONDON (CMC):

REGGAE BOY Jonson Clarke-Harris, “chuffed” by his success, remains on course to claim English League One’s golden boot award again after marking his 400th and 401st career appearances with goals for promotion-seeking Peterborough United.

After 13 years in professional football with nine different clubs, the Peterborough captain said he finally feels settled at London Road – a club with which he had an earlier stint in the 2012-13 season.

The 28-year-old marked his milestone 400th match with a brace against Burton Albion and followed it up with another goal to help Peterborugh – nicknamed Posh – become the first team to beat Lincoln at home in the league this season on Saturday, a game the visitors won 3-0.

The striker’s impressive recent form has seen him move to 22 league goals, four clear of his nearest rival – Portsmouth’s Colby Bishop – in his quest to win the golden boot in back-to-back League One seasons.

In his career so far, Leicester-born Clarke-Harris has scored 129 goals in all competitions, more than half of which – 68 – have been scored for Posh, a club he rejoined in 2020 on a four-year deal.

Clarke-Harris, who made his debut for Jamaica last year, told the Peterborough Telegraph newspaper: “Anybody who looks at my career will see I was a bit of a journeyman in my younger days and it has only been the last two to three years I’ve actually become settled and it’s come out in my football.

“I’m chuffed for myself, but it’s not about the 401st game, it’s about the next one and we move on.

“I’ve said it for years – it’s points over anything. Even if we played [badly] today and got three points it doesn’t matter. It’s going to matter to the boss, but as players, if we get the three points, that’s job done.”

Clarke-Harris earned high praise from boss Darren Ferguson for his performance against Lincoln, describing him as “unplayable”.

Clarke-Harris added: “We were outstanding. We knew what we were going to do and what they were going to do. We completely got it right. The clean sheet was vital for us and I’m really proud of all of the boys as they put a real shift in.”

Posh have moved up to seventh within four points of fifth-place Derby County – their opponents this Saturday – and sixth-place Bolton Wanderers.