By John Harrington

The New York footballers are hopeful that former Armagh star Jamie Clarke can help them make history when they play Leitrim in Sunday’s Connacht SFC Quarter-Final in Gaelic Park.

This is their 20th campaign in the Connacht Championship and they’ve yet to win a match, but an in-form Clarke would certainly improve their chances of breaking that duck against Leitrim.

He looked sharp in their recent 13-point challenge match victory over All-Ireland Club champions Corofin, and New York manager Justin O’Halloran admits his recruitment has been a huge boost for the team.

“Jamie Clarke would bring a lot to any county team's table, to be honest,” said O’Halloran

“He is a very good footballer, a very good lad and is a great outlet for us in the forward line. He played very well against Corofin, so hopefully he can do it again next Sunday.

“Leitrim are going to have to pay a lot of attention to him and even if he doesn’t get a score, he’ll take defenders out of the way for our other forwards and that will be a huge boost to us.

“But, yeah, to hold Jamie Clarke scoreless would be a very good job.”

New York defender and former Westmeath county footballer, Keith Scally, says Clarke has made a hugely positive impression on everyone since joining up with the New York panel earlier this year.

“Jamie is someone I would have really looked up to and admired when I saw him play for Armagh,” said Scally. “He brings a lot to the table both on and off the field.

“He's a lovely lad and obviously he's a fantastic footballer so he brings a huge amount to the panel. He has experience and skill and it's great to have him around.”

New York are captained by former Mayo corner-back, Tom Cunniffe, who has marked Clarke more than anyone in training in recent weeks.

He reckons the Armagh sharpshooter is in great form, but warns that New York can’t be overly reliant on him if they’re to take Leitrim’s scalp on Sunday.

“I've marked him a few times now, very impressed. The first time I met Jamie was in a club game a few years ago, Castlebar Mitchels against Crossmaglen. He's a top player.

“They'll definitely have to keep and eye on him, but everyone else has to step up. We can't just rely on one player.”