‘Probably wasn’t going to be worth…’ - Sam Clucas opens up on Shrewsbury Town exit

Sam Clucas has reflected on his time and eventual departure from Shrewsbury Town, describing the club as a “really good family club”.

Clucas left Shrewsbury in August after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract, bringing a premature end to the initial two-year deal he signed upon joining last year.

Speaking on a podcast, the 36-year-old revealed how his move to Salop came about, with then-manager Michael Appleton travelling to Lincoln, where Clucas is based, to hold talks with him.

“I had a really good conversation with him, and they offered me a two-year deal, which I wasn’t going to get at my age at any other places,” Clucas told The Football Lowdown.

“It was a really good deal years-wise, but it was just on the other side of the country.

“It was back over where I used to live the year before, so I ended up doing a lot of commuting.

“But it was a really good family club. A really good place to be involved in. I got on with the chairman really well. It was a really good step-up. I loved it.”

Clucas departed this summer after being informed he was not part of manager Gavin Cowan’s plans and placed on the transfer list. With no move materialising, his contract was mutually terminated.

The former Hull City, Swansea City and Stoke City midfielder had featured regularly during the first half of last season under Appleton, but a change in management brought a shift in his prospects.

Clucas continued: “I had a really good pre-season with them, and I thought we had something going. I thought we were going to do really well. But it never really happened.

“Appleton ended up leaving. I had played a lot of games. A new management team came in, and what happens with different managers sometimes, you see things differently.

“I wanted different things and we ended up coming to an agreement during this pre-season where it was that I was probably not going to play as much as I wanted to.

“I was commuting a lot and staying over. And if I wasn’t going to play and make as many appearances as I would have liked, or thought I was going to, it probably wasn’t going to be worth all of that.

“It was obviously good for the club to open up a space in the squad, and just worked out well for me to mutually terminate the contract and look for something else.”

Following his Shrewsbury exit, Clucas had a trial spell with League One side Bradford City, training with the Bantams.

The former Premier League midfielder was “hopeful” of securing a deal, but manager Graham Alexander’s departure to take charge of Preston North End brought those hopes to an end.

Clucas has now joined National League side Worthing for the remainder of the season.