Mitchell Clark made his full football league debut on Saturday in Vale’s resilient 1-0 win over Harry Kewell’s Crawley Town, and the teenager certainly impressed at Vale Park.
Mitchell Clark made his full football league debut on Saturday in Vale’s resilient 1-0 win over Harry Kewell’s Crawley Town.
The 19-year-old signed for Vale just last Thursday on loan from Aston Villa, and the Welsh full-back was thrown in at the deep end with his first start in league football against the Red Devils.
Clark wasted no time to leave his mark in a Vale shirt, playing a fundamental part in a monumental defensive display from the Valiants back four which saw them claim their second clean sheet of the season.
The former Villa man was happy with his debut, though is keen to improve his game at Vale Park.
He said: "I just want to become a more physical, stronger, better player and learn from more experienced players.
"In Under 23’s football your concentration can go, and you can get away with it, but in men's football, playing league football, your concentration has to be 100 per cent all the time. That's what we did, and it got us the three points."
Having played predominantly as a right-back throughout his career, Clark made his Vale debut on the left-hand side of the defence, but the Welsh full-back just wants to get out on the pitch no matter what position he plays.
He said: "Wherever the gaffer wants me to play, I will play. I am comfortable wherever, I am just looking forward to playing football."
Prior to his move to Burslem, Clark graduated through the academy at Villa Park and made his first-team debut in a 4-1 win over Wigan Athletic in 2017. He finished as a runner-up in the Premier League 2 Division Two with the Villa Under 23 side, as well as winning the Premier League Cup during the 2017-18 season.
His performances in a Villa shirt earned Mitchell a call-up to the Welsh national side where he went on to represent the Under 17 squad, as well as captaining the Under 19’s.