Brighton signing Matt Clarke has paid tribute to former club Portsmouth.

Clarke joined Ipswich Town at under-7 level and made his way through the ranks before getting his senior debut in August 2014.

A move to Fratton Park then followed, where the centre half became a mainstay. Albion's newest recruit played every minute of league football last year, amassing over 4000 minutes on the field in the process.

He explained, “My time at Ipswich was fairly regular in terms of a progression. I came through as a scholar and made the journey to the first team from there.

“I then joined Portsmouth on loan initially to get myself out there and get into the Football League. One thing led to another and that then became a permanent move.

“It ended in four very good years for me. I played every league game last term and it's something I'm very happy with.

“You always need a little bit of luck on the way because you never know what can happen, but I stayed clear of injury to keep fit and make it a good season."