Brendan Clarke has announced that he will be leaving Galway United when his contract expires at the end of the month.
Clarke joined Galway from Shelbourne ahead of the 2023 season, where he has since made 92 appearances for the club. He was a key member of the First Division title-winning team of 2023, keeping 21 clean sheets.
Clarke went on to become a crucial player for John Caulfield's side in the Premier Division, finishing fifth in their first season back in the top flight before encountering a more challenging season this year, with the passing of Ollie Horgan. Clarke spoke about this in his departing message on Instagram: "The loss of Ollie Horgan from our group has been unexplainable. I've tried to find the words to describe it many times but I can't. He was a giant of a man on the pitch, off the pitch, on the sideline, in the meeting room, everywhere. We loved you Ollie, you broke our hearts but I hope we did you proud by the end of the season."
Despite the difficult circumstances, Clarke and his United teammates pulled together late in the season to avoid the promotion/relegation playoff, with two wins and two draws in their last five games enough to finish eighth. Clarke made four saves against Drogheda United in the last home game of the season to secure a crucial point for the Tribesmen, as well as two big saves in the win against Bohemians a week earlier.
There's no doubt Brendan will always be remembered fondly by Galway supporters, and he thanked them in his announcement: "Thank you to John for giving me the opportunity to proudly represent the city and county of Galway and thank you to all my teammates, coaches, staff members and supporters for everything over the 3 seasons. You made the thousands of kilometres driven much more worthwhile. But the biggest thanks is to a small group of people who stayed true to themselves and never changed who they are, no matter what happened."
