Ben Clark was on Manchester United`s books as a youngster before returning to his native North East to sign for Sunderland. A strong, versatile player, he could play in central midfield or right back, but his favoured position was centre-half. He captained England at under-19 level and has also received international recognition at under-20, under-18 and under-15 levels.Clark had a frustrating start to his Pools career as he struggled to earn himself a regular place in the first team. He finally got a settled run in the side towards the end of the 2005/06 season as he established himself alongside Michael Nelson at the heart of the defence. 2006/07 was Clark`s best season to date in a Pools shirt. Now firmly established in the side he was on the top of his game, and his partnership with Nelson was one of the key ingredients in Pools` promotion-winning season.