PORTLAND United manager Gary Bailey confirmed striker Lewis Clarke has re-joined the island outfit.

Clarke, who had been in and out of the set-up at Weymouth Reserves, has now linked up with the Blues once again and is expected to be in the squad for the first time next Saturday.

The striker was one of the Dorset Premier League’s most prolific marksmen in his former spell with the club. In the 2013-14 season, he netted 19 times in just 22 appearances.

And island boss Bailey is hoping to get his new striker fit and firing once more. He told Echosport: “When the situation came around that we were possibly able to get him back on board we were both really up for it. It was an easy decision to bring him back.

“He is a good addition. We have a small catchment here in this area and when proven goal scorers and quality players become available, it’s something you have to be interested in.”

He added: “I enjoyed working with him last time he was at the club and, hopefully, he can recapture the form that he showed the first time he was there.

“He knows he needs to knuckle down and work on his fitness and sharpness but he is a professional lad and he will get that back now he is fully focused. A fully focused Lewis Clarke has goals in him and that’s what we are looking to get.”