Clark devastated after failed promotion mission

STRIKER Nicky Clark has spoken of his devastation following Queen of the South’s agonising penalty shootout defeat to Stenhousemuir but kept the door open on his Palmerston Park future. Clark returned to the club for a second stint a few months ago with a clear mission to fire the Doonhamers back into the Championship for the second time in his career. Despite his best efforts over two legs, the promotion dream ended in the cruellest fashion. The experienced forward was a central figure in the semi-final drama, scoring twice but ultimately seeing his crucial spot-kick saved in the shoot out. The 34-year-old said: “I’m gutted as it’s the worst way to lose a game of football and I feel for all the boys and the staff. We gave it everything but it wasn’t to be. I scored two goals but I missed the penalty in the shoot out. It happens in football but I’m still hurting. “We were throwing everything at it, I thought we played well in both legs. “I had a couple more chances in both games so it’s very frustrating.”