Ollie Clarke eager to work with Graham Coughlan once again after joining Mansfield Town

The former Bristol Rovers midfielder has been reunited with his former Gas boss after signing a two year contract with Stags.

And Clarke admits the lure of working with the no nonsense Irish man once again was enough to wrench him away from his home town club.

“He is straight down the line, he is fair and honest and you know what you are getting,” he said.

“I like the way he is committed. He will reward you if you are doing well, if you’re not doing well he would take your days off away from you.

“He gets the results out of you from hard work and grit and determination and that is something I like to think I bring to my game. Perhaps it is one of the reasons we get on so well.

“We had a close bond and would share texts and our thoughts after games. I carried on speaking to him after he left Bristol and wished him all the best.

“He got a Bristol side not firing on all cylinders and not fit enough, he got us playing a certain style of football that was effective and turned it around.

“It might not have been the prettiest but he knew how to get results.

“I'm very excited to be at Mansfield. As soon as I knew Mansfield was interested, I wanted to join.”

Clarke began his playing career at Rovers in 2009 after progressing through the youth ranks and went on to play 235 times for the Pirates.

During that he enjoyed plenty of success during that period as he helped Rovers progress from the National League to League One.

And he admits calling time on his 11 year Rovers career was a huge decision which he did not take lightly.

“It was a massive decision and one I gave a lot of thought to,” Clarke added.

“The club has been a massive part of my life for 15 years and has been very good to me over the years.

“It was a massive decision to move away. A lot of friends and family would come and watch me each week up and down the country.

.“In the back of the mind I knew I wanted to try something new. I wanted to experience new things and leave Bristol, because I’ve not experienced anything different.

“I told the Rovers manager I probably wouldn’t have the right mentality if I came back and I wanted something fresh and to try something new.

“Do I stay or do I go was a big thing in the back of my mind, but I felt like I needed a new challenge.

“I needed to go and test myself somewhere else. I didn’t have a lot of ties to keep me in Bristol anymore so I felt now more than ever was the time to go try something new.”

Clarke now has his sights firmly set on winning another promotion with Mansfield, with the club’s facilities and ambitions a key reason why he signed up.

He added: “The training facilities here are immaculate which is one of the reasons I wanted to join. I like the way the manager works and I trust his views on the game.

“This is a club looking to progress through the leagues, I want to try and win promotions and it is a good opportunity here to get one.

“The things you can cherish as a footballer are medals. That is what I want to achieve and that is why I have come to Mansfield.”

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