Michael Clunan has set his sights on promotion after rejoining hometown club King’s Lynn.
Midfielder Clunan, 31, is back with the Linnets after spending two years at Scunthorpe.
He captained the Iron to promotion via the National League North play-offs last season but has taken the chance to come home.
The former Norwich City youngster spent eight years with King’s Lynn in his first spell at the club, scoring 56 goals in 356 appearances and helping them achieve back-to-back promotions.
He’s aiming to take the Linnets back to the top flight of non-league football for the first time since relegation in 2022.
“I’m feeling good and hopefully I can offer a lot to the team,” said Clunan.
“Make no mistake, the goal is promotion this year, and that’s what they’ve brought me in to achieve.”
The returning hero knows what’s required if King’s Lynn are to achieve their goal – and he’s ready to deliver.
He added: “I want to create a culture here. That’s what I want to do.
“So I’m looking forward to starting pre-season straight away.
“Standards need to be through the roof because it’s a long, hard season.
“You’re not going to win this league by performing brilliantly once a month.
“You need to grind it out, week in, week out, and that comes from having a good culture and good standards every day.”
Clunan said he “absolutely loved” his time at Scunthorpe, a Championship club just 14 years ago.
But he was always likely to return to King’s Lynn at some point, although it’s happened sooner than expected, with the midfielder sold on the club’s ambition following a summer takeover and wanting to be close to his young family.
“I’ve discussed at length the plans of the football club with both the manager and the CEO and it looks like exciting times,” said Clunan. “The fans should be excited and I’m happy to be back.
“I absolutely loved my time at Scunthorpe. It’s a brilliant club. It’s a massive club, with a massive fanbase.
“I think it wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when I was going to come back to the football club, being from the town.
“It was just a few things that aligned, which meant it was probably brought forward maybe a year, which I’m really excited about.”
Clunan, who missed only one game last season, believes his time with Scunthorpe has helped him become a better player.
That will only benefit King’s Lynn in their title quest under new manager James Rowe.
“It probably has made me a better player,” he said. “It’s a different environment.
“I left a scenario where I was here for eight years, captain of the club, and knew everyone inside-out. And it was a big challenge for me to go to a new club.
“I was made captain straight away in a new squad.
“I didn’t know anyone, so to earn the respect of your team-mates in a pre-season is not easy.
“On the pitch and as a character, I’m probably stronger, more experienced, and these are the qualities I’m guessing the CEO and the manager have seen in me. And that’s why they’ve brought me back.”
