FORMER Latics captain David Wheater has resumed his football career with non-league Darlington.

The 35-year-old has been working with Quakers physio Danny O’Connor during his recovery from a back operation.

It is almost two years since Wheater played a competitive game. He did not feature for Oldham Athletic again after the 2019/20 season was cut short by coronavirus, following a fall-out with the club.

When Covid hit and Oldham's players and staff were furloughed, Wheater lost around 70 per cent in wages, with no top-up from Latics.

He disputed it, and then-manager Dino Maamria told the experienced former Bolton and Middlesbrough man that he was under orders not to play him again. Maamria was then replaced by Harry Kewell, who had the same remit.

Wheater continued to train but caught Covid in September. When he returned after his period of quarantine he was told to train with the youth team.

The club also expressed concerns about the former England Under 21 international relocating to his native north east.

Wheater says the situation was not just a cause for concern for himself but also his wife, mother and father, adding that it culminated in him seeing his doctor as it had affected his mental health.

But the experience had not put Wheater off returning to football, with the defender always intending to find another club once he had recovered from surgery to repair a long-standing back problem.

"I want to continue playing. I don’t think I’ll ever say that I’ve retired in case someone pops up," he said in an interview last year.

“I’d like to play local around Middlesbrough. I don’t think I’m going to be signing for Middlesbrough at this age but around the north east hopefully I can find a club.

"Darlington would be perfect. It isn’t for money anymore, it’s just so that I can play some football.

“I know the manager, I was at Doncaster on loan with him when I was younger and it is 20 minutes down the road, so it would be great.”

Last month, Darlington boss Alun Armstrong told The Northern Echo: “I’ve known Dave for a long time and I nearly signed him in the summer, but he said he didn’t want to come in and then be injured.

“So that’s credit to him, he wanted to get the op done first and then have a chat. Danny has been doing work with him and we’ll see where it takes us.

“He had the op November time, he’s only a couple of months post-op, it was a bulging disc in his back, so the timescale it usually three months before you can play competitively.

“He’s kept himself in decent shape and if he can get back playing that would be great.”

Wheater could be included in the squad to face Chorley at Blackwell Meadows in National League North this afternoon (kick-off 3pm).

Darlington are currently 12th in the table, seven points off the play-off places.