Heading into the summer, Jonny Clements was confident he’d played his last match and was planning to head into happy retirement, but a call from Hill Street helped reverse that decision and he’s thrilled it did with the striker scoring six times in two different matches at the start of this season.

The former Dromara Village and Ambassadors forward has taken breaks from the sport before, having a eight-year hiatus to play rugby and pursue other interests before returning in 2019, but it’s a move to Lurgan-based Hill Street that has helped spark career-best form.

Barely 24 hours after signing for the Mid-Ulster Division One outfit, Clements came off the bench to net six times in just 28 minutes during their emphatic 16-0 league win over Hillsborough Boys – his highest return from a single game – and then repeated the feat three weeks later by scoring another six in IFA Junior Cup success against Tullyally Colts.

Managed by Mark Hamilton, the brother of Irish League legend Gary, Hill Street currently sit second in their league and will hope to seal further Junior Cup progression in Saturday’s trip to Rathcoole Reserves.

placeholder image — Hill Street celebrate after winning MUFL Division One last season. (Photo by Hill Street FC)

Clements sits top of the goalscoring charts in both competitions and admits this move has helped him get the buzz back for a sport he thought he’d left behind.

"I was meant to be retired!!” he laughs. “I was just ready to pack it in and wanted to stop.

"I'd probably 10 or more offers in the summer but Hill Street were always on to me so it was a good move to try and win trophies. I signed on the Friday and then played the last 28 minutes on the Saturday and scored six.

"I'm glad I reversed that decision to step away! It makes a big difference when you start scoring. I've got that buzz back and it's good to get a few goals - hopefully I can score more."

Heading into his Hill Street debut, Clements’ three-year-old daughter perhaps had more confidence in her father than he did in himself, predicting the 33-year-old would score five – little did he know how right she almost was.

"My wee girl is three and I always ask her 'how many goals will I score today?' and she said five that day but there wasn't much chance with coming off the bench, but she wasn't far wrong!" he said. "I always believed that I could score goals and the team this season is very good with quality balls into the box.

"You just want to keep scoring more. Even though I scored six you're always thinking about how you could have had another one and you want to keep scoring. Striker's are never happy no matter how many they score."

Hill Street won the MUFL Division One title last term, only losing one of 20 matches and scoring 70 times in the process, while they also reached the Marshall Cup quarter-finals before suffering defeat to Irish League newcomers Oxford Sunnyside.

There’s a similar expectation for silverware this season and that drive is one of the main factors why Clements came back.

"You always want to hit the ground running, especially as a striker, and you want to be scoring goals as soon as possible,” he said. “That's why I wanted to get a couple on my debut, never mind the six I did score. I don't think I could have wished for a better debut than that.

"Hill Street want to win. We'd a couple of draws in the league this season and nobody was happy about it. They want to win every single match and cup, which is one of the main reasons why I moved to Hill Street."