Once described as the replacement for Denis Irwin at Wolves, Mark Clyde seemed to have a great career ahead of him. After a brief spell on loan at Kidderminster, he first broke into the Wolves side in 2002, where he kept club captain Paul Butler out of the side. Making 17 appearances in his debut season, Clyde quickly became a favourite of the fans at Molineux.

However, a knee injury saw Clyde miss the conclusion of the campaign and had to watch from the stands as his teammates beat Sheffield United 3-0 in the play-off final to secure promotion to the Premier League.

With a knee operation out of the way, Clyde was ready to battle his way back into the Wolves side for the new Premier League season. However, manager Dave Jones preferred the experience of Denis Irwin and Oleg Luzhny, meaning Clyde spent most of the season in the reserves.

Despite this, Clyde did manage to force himself back into the team near the end of the campaign. Luzhny had failed to live up to early expectations, and with Irwin nearing retirement, Jones gave Clyde his chance. By the end of the season, he had made nine top-flight appearances and looked set for a bright season next term.

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With Wolves back in the Championship, Clyde played in the opening 13 games of the new campaign as they pushed for an immediate return to the Premier League. However, whilst on international duty with Northern Ireland (who he earned five caps for), he turned his ankle and was forced onto the sidelines. Although he recovered from this injury and was ready to impress new manager Glenn Hoddle, his knee troubles flared up again in February 2005 and he missed the remainder of the season.

More disappointment followed when he failed to recover from ankle surgery, meaning he missed the entire of 2005-06 campaign. However, things looked more positive for the 2006-07 season when new manager Mick McCarthy picked Clyde for the opening three games of the season.

Despite the original optimism, Clyde suffered a shin injury, which sidelined him once more. He decided enough was enough in February 2007 and announced his retirement from the game, aged just 24-years-old. After walking away from the game, he went on to work for a landscape garden company and a return to football seemed a million miles away.

After spending two years away from the game, Clyde decided to make a return to the world of football, despite his arthritis-related injuries. He signed for non-league side Worcester City in July 2009.

Now, just over a year after returning to the game, Clyde finds himself as a regular in the side. After being named as joint player of the season in his first year with Worcester, he has also been handed the assistant manager’s role at the club.

Still a regular in the side, Clyde looks like going from strength to strength. After virtually starting his career all over again, one can only admire the perseverance of the right-back. I’m sure all Wolves fans would want only good things for the ex-Northern Ireland international, who held so much promise during his time at Molineux. Who knows, maybe one day he could return to the club in a coaching role?

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