Ex-Portsmouth man Matt Clarke crowned Player of the Season for third successive year after Derby award

The 23-year-old capped an impressive Pride Park campaign by being named as the club’s Jack Stamps Player of the Season.

Remarkably, it represents the third straight year Clarke has won such an honour.

He was voted as The News/Sports Mail’s Player of the Season for 2017-18 and 2018-19 before departing for Brighton last summer.

Now he has become only the second loan player to win at Derby, following on from Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori, who has since earned England recognition.

Clarke is in fine company for the Jack Stamps Player of the Season, which has been running since 1968-69.

Previous recipients include Scott Carson, Giorgi Kinkladze, Dean Saunders, Mark Wright, Colin Todd and Dave Mackay.

The award was voted for by supporters during a week-long poll.

Clarke, who spent the season on loan at Derby, made 37 appearances and scored once as the Rams finished 10th in the Championship.

His future remains to be seen, having signed a four-year deal at Brighton in June 2019 following a £3.5m transfer from Pompey.

He made 175 appearances and scored nine times during four seasons with the Blues.

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