PETERBOROUGH UNITED BOSS DARREN FERGUSON PAYS TRIBUTE TO 'MAGNIFICENT' JONSON CLARKE-HARRIS AS HE DEPARTS CLUB AND EXPECTS PLENTY OF INTEREST IN HIS FELLOW STARS THIS SUMMER
Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson has paid tribute to Jonson Clarke-Harris ahead of the striker’s departure from the club as a free agent.
The 29-year-old will leave London Road following the conclusion of the season on Wednesday night as Posh failed to overturn a 1-0 deficit in their play-off semi final against Oxford.
Posh could only manage a 1-1 draw on the night, but it was substitute Clarke-Harris who came closest to sending the tie into extra-time in the closing stages when he saw a header cleared off the line.
The striker’s role had been majorly diminished this season with Posh favouring a more youthful more energetic team after a summer rebuild.
The back-to-back Golden Boot winner made just 16 League One starts this season and came off the bench a further 19 times, but still netted nine league goals and 13 in all competitions.
Clarke-Harris missed out on a summer move to Bristol Rovers by a matter of seconds due to administrative failings from the buying club, however, he has received praise throughout the season from his boss and teammates because of his attitude around such a young group.
He will now leave the club having scored in 87 goals in 190 games and has a League One promotion, an EFL Trophy victory and two League One Golden Boot awards to his name.
Paying tribute to his former talisman, Ferguson said: “Jonno will be gone and that is the end of what has been a magnificent signing for this football club.
"He’s been magnificent for us, a great signing.”
Teammate Hector Kyprianou added: “We gave Jonno a round of applause in the dressing room after the game. He's been class for us all season. He's led by example and we wish him well.”
A number of other star names could also follow Clarke-Harris out of the door this summer with the likes of Ronnie Edwards, Harrison Burrows, Hector Kyprianou and Kwame Poku all expected to be of interest to clubs in higher divisions.
Ferguson has said that interest in such players is to be expected, but that the club will do what they can to keep their best players. The club’s retained list is also expected to be released in the coming days.
Ferguson added: “There’s one or two other decisions I’ve got to make about who I want to keep and who I don’t. There will be a lot of interest in our players because we have so many good ones. I signed up to a three-year contract on a three-year plan and I can’t build a new team every year as that would be impossible. I don’t think that will be the case though, we will try to keep our best players.
“The issue at this club is that if massive bids come in for millions and millions, then players will be sold. I can’t do anything about that because it’s justified in the fact that we only get an average gate of about 9,000.
“We now have to get our recruitment correct again, but the philosophy will stay the same in regards to the age of the players.”