Midfielder Chris Conn-Clarke has admitted his spell at Peterborough United was a setback in his career but did make him a better player.
The 23-year-old made the move to the Weston Homes Stadium in 2024 after excelling for National League outfit Altrincham. He appeared on Darren Ferguson’s radar after a standout 2023/24 campaign, where he contributed 22 goals and 12 assists in 46 league games.
Although there was much fanfare about his arrival, it soon became clear that an adjustment period would be needed after stepping up two divisions. However, the former Burnley youngster was unable to nail down a regular starting berth and made just 23 League One appearances totalling just over 1,000 minutes of action.
Move To Carlisle Already Paying Dividends
The opening months of this season proved even less fruitful. Conn-Clarke made a matchday squad just once and failed to make a single outing before owner Darragh MacAnthony revealed in September. that a trio of National League clubs had enquired about his availability.
The playmaker eventually made a temporary move to Carlisle United last week until January, although the deal does include an option to extend or make the transfer permanent. He showed his quality on his debut on Saturday, scoring twice in a 5-2 win over Boston United in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round.
Conn-Clarke’s first for the Blues! 🙌
View the Match Highlights from our Emirates FA Cup victory over Boston United for FREE on CUTV now.
— Carlisle United (@officialcufc) October 12, 2025
Conn-Clarke ‘Pushed’ For Carlisle Move
Carlisle currently sit third in the National League and harbour ambitions of returning to League Two at the first time of asking. Opening up about his time at Peterborough, Conn-Clarke revealed that he pushed for a move to Carlisle:
“It was a learning curve, really. It was a setback in my career, but I had a lot of stuff going on off the pitch and on the pitch, and injuries as well. I do feel like I went there, and I’ve come back, and I’m a better player. I know the game a lot more, so hopefully I can get the numbers to go along with it.
“I was eager to come to Carlisle and I was eager to play as I hadn’t been playing at Peterborough, but did keep myself fit and ready. I think everyone – Peterborough, myself, Carlisle – all wanted the deal done, and I pushed as much as I could.”
Carlisle United Receive Promotion Boost
Continuing, the attacker said he knew he was destined to score on his debut despite his lack of game time:
“I was buzzing to be playing again and nothing was going to stop me scoring. I’m glad the manager believed in me to go in straight away. That fire in the belly is back and I’m ready to go. The night before the game I was thinking about what I was going to do, and it came into fruition.
“We’re all very good players here and when good players play together they’ll connect straight away. It’s just being on that wavelength, and the more we play together the better we will get.
“The aim now is to win the league if I’m here until the end of the season and if I’m only here until January, get them as far up the table as possible.”
Writer’s View
It is puzzling as to why Chris Conn-Clarke’s time in Peterborough didn’t work out. He is a player that looked far too good for the National League and Posh seemed to be the best place to continue his development. After all, they have built a reputation of building talent and selling at a profit.
The temporary move to Carlisle already seems to be paying dividends and he is likely to provide a major boost to their promotion aspirations. Unless he suffers an injury, it’s difficult to see his loan not being extended beyond January.
