Clint Hill Extends Stay

Clint Hill has put pen to paper after agreeing an extension to his contract at Stoke.

The 27 year old defender has committed himself to two more years at the Britannia Stadium. His current deal was due to end at the end of the season meaning he could have left on a 'Bosman' free deal.

Hill - who has been with City since moving from Oldham in 2003 - has been out of action since April following knee surgery but is slowly but surely nearing fitness.

The player said: 'I'm really pleased to have signed, to offer me a two-year extension shows the club have got faith in me. It's brilliant news and hopefully I can repay that faith when I get back out on the pitch. I'm looking at around Christmas time, or possibly the middle of January if everything goes well, and hopefully I can get back into the first-team fold.'

Director of Football John Rudge told the official site:

'Clint is still out injured, but the specialist is 100% confident he will make a full recovery. His contract was up at the end of this season, but we hope he will be back playing before Christmas and we didn't want to be in the position where we could possibly lose him when his present deal ran out. Therefore, this is good for both parties. It's security for Clint and security for us and we are now looking forward to getting him back on the pitch and recapturing the form which earned him the club's Player of the Year award last season.'