Darrell Clarke has laughed off suggestions that his Sunday night singalong with supporters in a local pub was in any way disrespectful to Wembley opponents Grimsby Town. Clarke became a minor internet sensation after turning up at The Vic on Gloucester Road where he led chants of 'we are going up' after securing a date at Wembley in the Conference play-off final against Grimsby Town on May 17. He said: “I know there has been some reaction to it at the Grimsby end but I don't think people should mistake us singing a few football songs after a game as us getting carried away in any way whatsoever. Grimsby did a fair bit of celebrating themselves when their fans were on the pitch and their players in the changing room after the game, but I'm not reading anything into that. They, like us, deserve to enjoy those moments, but what the game between us will boil down to is what happens on the pitch over 90 minutes at Wembley. People get carried away in the moment and I'm no different. You do these things in the heat of the moment and when you have these times in football you should enjoy them. It was probably a bit of a surprise to some people to see me in there, but it was nice to mix with and share some of the enjoyment with our fans. We're all going to Wembley at the end of a tough year and I think that is something you should be allowed to celebrate. You go through a lot of lows in football so when you experience a high there is a right time to enjoy it. We have done that over the last few days since Sunday, but now we are back at work and focused on the next project."
