MICK Rathbone has retired five times, but the lure of football - and football people - keeps him coming back for more.

Since leaving Everton 16 months ago the 64-year-old has answered the calls of Tranmere Rovers, Accrington Stanley, Salford City, Dundee, and now Oldham Athletic.

And having been in football since he was a teenager - a professional for almost 20 years with hometown club Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End, and finally Halifax before going on - after a brief spell in management - to become a respected physio for another two decades, predominantly for Everton, as well as England Under 17s, he tends to know people everywhere he goes.

Boundary Park is no different.

Rathbone’s links lie largely with Latics boss David Unsworth and his management team, assistant boss John Ebbrell and first team coach/B team manager Francis Jeffers, having worked closely with the trio for a number of years at Everton.

But there was another familiar face, and one who he has nursed backed to full fitness in recent weeks.

“Life’s really funny,” Rathbone smiled. He seems to always be smiling.

“When I started doing the England teams Hallam Hope was in my first Under 17s side. We went to Portugal for a tournament, Belgium for a tournament and then we had 17 days in Serbia, in a place called Novi Sad on the Danube and we’ve been talking about that. It’s amazing how these things come round.

“When I first went to Everton in 2002 as the head physio David Unsworth was a player in the team. We got on well. Then I didn’t see him for years, then three years ago I went back for a couple of weeks but I stayed for three years in the Academy and David was the Academy manager. Now here we are again.

“I hadn’t seen David for about 15 months, or John Ebbrell and Franny Jeffers, and now we’re all back on the same training pitch.”

Although Rathbone’s phone has been practically red-hot since ‘retirement’, he didn’t know the call was from Unsworth at first.

“I left Everton last year, thought ‘that’s it, 63, finished’. And then James Vaughan, who I knew from Everton, phoned me up and said ‘Tranmere haven’t got a physio’ and I said ‘Oh no, it’s too far’. But I went for five weeks and then I got them a physio. Then I did some work at Accrington, I did one of their first team games, then I went to Salford for a couple of weeks and ended up staying for six. I did a week at Dundee.

“Billy Barr was at Halifax with me in the early 90s and I didn’t see him for 30 years. But when I went to Salford he was there and he asked me up to Dundee last week, so me and Billy are together, going up in the car, winning 2-0 at Hamilton Academical together in the dugout all those years on. I don’t know if that’s the magic of football that you bump into people you haven’t seen for years.

“Then I noticed some missed calls on my phone from a number that I didn’t know.

“I’d had David Unsworth’s Everton number, and he phoned me up and he said ‘Will you come to Oldham?’ and I said ‘Yes!’

“I don’t know if you know but I’ve retired for the last five consecutive years, I’ve given five leaving speeches, received five lovely presents and signed shirts, and I’m very humble and flattered that people will always phone me up and ask me to do more.

“This is actually my fifth club of the season already.

“But I didn’t even think about it because I like to work, I love to meet new people. I knew the back story that the club has had a difficult time recently. I know how big the club is, I played here a lot of times in the 80s for Blackburn, so I know all about it, and it’s exciting to be part of something that could be really good.”

Rathbone arrived as physiotherapist and head of conditioning, working alongside the existing physio team of Claire Swindell and Trystan Jones, the club’s strength and conditioning coach, and immediately had his work cut out.

“There were loads of injuries, there’s a lot fewer now, but that’s thanks to Claire and Trystan. They did great work and it allowed me just to come and do those final stages out on the grass,” he said.

“I’m really enjoying it. Everyone’s really friendly and I’m really enjoying it so far.

“I like to work and I think it keeps you young being surrounded by young footballers.”

Reflecting on coming out of a retirement for a fourth time, Rathbone added: “It’s unbelievable, football. I think that’s what draws you back.”