AFC Totton
YOUNG AFC BOURNEMOUTH striker Ashley Clarke has returned to AFC Totton on loan. The 19-year-old begins his second spell with The Stags, having first joined the club on loan during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, when he featured as a substitute in the home match against Tiverton Town in April 2024.
He featured at the Snows Stadium again this past September, as part of the AFC Bournemouth side that knocked Totton out of the Servio Hampshire Senior Cup at the Second Round stage. Clarke contributing two goals on the night to play his part in a scintillating display of attacking football that saw the young Cherries side triumph 4-1.
Born on the Isle of Wight in September 2025, the direct attacker, who can play on either flank or as a central striker, played grassroots football in Portsmouth as a child before joining AFC Bournemouth in July 2021 and going on to earn a scholarship.
A regular goalscorer in Bournemouth’s U18s and Development Squad, Clarke registered 16 goals and six assists in the club’s inaugural season in the Professional Development League.
He made his second AFC Totton debut as a half-time substitute during last weekend’s Isuzu FA Trophy Third Round Qualifying victory over Merthyr Town at the Snows Stadium, where his ability to run at players at pace caused The Martyrs’ defence several problems, despite their numerical supremacy following the first-half dismissal of Charlie Kennedy.
Totton’s winning goal came about in no small part due to Clarke quickly advancing the play up the left wing, before switching it to the right where Declan Rose and Luke Bennett did the rest to fashion the one goalscoring chance that Charlie Austin needed to head The Stags into the First Round Proper, in which they will face Dorchester Town at home on Saturday 26 October.
“I enjoyed my time here last season. The training was excellent and being in and around a senior men’s team taught me a lot,” explains the forward. “But I didn’t get much playing time, so I’m glad to be coming back to have another chance to make an impact and show everybody what I am capable of.
“The main difference is that in academy football, you can win or lose but there’s always another match, when you can work on what you need to improve. But in men’s football, if you don’t perform, you don’t play; if you don’t win, managers get sacked and players get moved on. There are real consequences, so the results really matter. You have to take training and matches seriously, and give it 100 per cent all of the time.”
AFC Totton boss Jimmy Ball commented:
“I was impressed with Ash when we had him last season but in the time he’s been away, he’s grown as a young man and continued to develop as a footballer. He’s come on a lot, and we saw that on Saturday.
“Men’s football can be very different to what lads experience at Academy and Under-23s level, and some don’t make that transition well but Ash looks more than capable of handling that extra physicality. He’s keen to take responsibility and be brave on the ball. He’s got tremendous pace and is very direct in his attacking play, which enables him to cause plenty of problems for defenders. I’m really pleased to have got him back at the club and to have this chance to continue working with him, and to help Bournemouth with the next stage of his development.”
By Ben Rochey-Adams
