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McClen joined the Aggborough club back in the summer as Harriers boss Mark Yates saw the need to bring some much needed experience into the centre of the park for his side, Jamie supposedly coming in to the club to do battle with the likes of Jake Sedgemore, Russell Penn and Simon Russell for a starting place in the Kidderminster engine room. McClen has only made five league starts for the Harriers though and this move back up to the North-East looks like it could end up being a permanent one the way the career of the once highly-rated midfielder is spiralling downwards.
McClen had been turning out for UniBond Premier Division Champions and UniBond Chairmans Cup Winners Blyth Spartans in his native North-East at the end of last season after being released from a short-term contract at Shrewsbury on April 5th. Jamie was brought into Gay Meadow in the middle of February, initially on a trial basis in Town's reserves outfit, before Shrews boss Gary Peters signed the Newcastle-born midfielder on non-contract terms. McClen was a regular in the reserve side at Shrewsbury and actually featured in Town's 4-0 defeat against Carlisle at Brunton Park on the 22nd of February. The one-time Toon man made four appearances from the start in the league for the Shrews and featured as an unused substitute on another occasion.
In his United days, despite some useful performances for the reserve side since signing up with Carlisle on the 4th of August last season, McClen found it hard to break into the first-team. Indeed, he made only one full start in the 2-1 Carling Cup defeat at Burnley in August as well as four brief substitute appearances as he struggled to find a starting berth in a central midfield area where United are overflowing with options. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Blues boss Paul Simpson released Jamie early from his six-month contract on the 21st of December to give him more time to find a new club, McClen eventually finding himself in Shropshire two months later.