Having not kicked a ball competitively for two years, time away from football he admits that he enjoyed, what on earth possessed David Wheater to make a comeback at 35-years-old in the National League North?

He spent the bulk of a long career in the Premier League, Championship and League One, playing for hometown club Middlesbrough and then Bolton, who in 2011 bought him for £2.3m, before a spell with Oldham that ended in March 2020.

Fast forward two years and last week sixth-tier Darlington signed him for £2.3m less than Bolton paid and two days later threw him in for his debut against Chorley.

It was 23 months and 19 days since his final match for Oldham, with whom there was an acrimonious split, and last year he underwent long-awaited back surgery.

So why put the boots on again?

“I love it! I love playing,” was his simple answer.

“What went on at Oldham was annoying, but I love football.

“The stuff with their owners put me off a bit and I had a good time when I wasn’t playing, to be honest. Me and the Mrs walked the dogs and stuff like that while the kids were at school.

“But I think she’s had enough of me now and wants me out of the house.”

Having lived and played in the North West for the past decade, Wheater returned to the North East after his two seasons with Oldham came to an end when Covid interrupted the 2019-20 campaign.

His second Darlington debut - having had a loan spell in 2007 when coming through the ranks at Boro – was a huge success, playing a part in a 3-0 win which was the team’s best home performance of the season.

They hope for more of the same this weekend when Darlington host Blyth Spartans, when Wheater will again be alongside Jake Lawlor in the heart of the back four.

The pair helped earn a first clean sheet in eight games, and the Redcar Rock added: “My legs were like jelly the first 20 minutes. Obviously I know my positioning, the basics, but it was hard to get my legs going. It was a boggy pitch as well, which didn’t help.

“It had been two years since my last game, I hadn’t played since the season ended due to Covid.

“I was supposed to have a practice match on Tuesday this week, but last Thursday the manager pulled me after training and said two of the centre-halves were injured so he asked if I thought I could manage it.

“I laughed! I thought he was messing about, but he was serious, so we got the paperwork done.”

Having made his Quakers bow earlier than anticipated, there was no need for a friendly with Northern League opposition, so instead on Tuesday Wheater was at the Riverside to see his former club stun Tottenham in the FA Cup.

The Riverside was rocking, like it was 15 years ago when the club were in the Premier League and Wheater became a regular under Gareth Southgate in the 2007-08 season.

During the second half of the previous campaign, 2006-07, he had been one of Boro’s proteges and sent on loan to Darlington, making his debut as a 19-year-old in one of Alun Armstrong’s final appearances as a player. They had previously been at Doncaster at the same time.

Fifteen years later and that Boro academy product is now a veteran defender with Armstrong signing his former team-mate.

Wheater added: “I was at Doncaster on loan with him years back, that was the first time I’d met him. He was messaging me last year making it clear he wanted me, it was nice to be wanted.

“I would love to have signed earlier, but I had the back operation in early November. I slipped a disc years ago playing for Bolton and I’ve been taking painkillers for years, but I was probably too dependent on them, I was taking them before training and games just to get through it.

“So the plan was always to get the surgery done, it was an hour’s operation and I felt fine three days later. The surgeon said I’d be out for four months, so I’m back playing earlier than expected and I’ll keep going as long as I can.”

The defender has been working with Quakers physio Danny O’Connor to get as fit as possible.

“It’s tough because being part-time we only train two days a week, if it was every day I’d probably be flying by now,” he added.

“I’ve been doing my own stuff, I’ve been doing a lot of spinning but it’s match fitness I need. I’m flying in the spinning, but in a game it’s different muscles.

“But the lads were quality on Saturday. It was probably the best centre midfield performance I’ve ever seen, Will Hatfield and Danny Rose in the middle were great.

“After one of my first training sessions I said to the manager I can see the lads have got quality, and I think they showed it on Saturday.”