DANNY Rogers feared his Oldham Athletic career was over before it had barely begun. Worse still, a spinal injury that for months showed no sign of improvement left him contemplating having to retire altogether, at the age of 27.

It started with what Rogers thought was a crick in his neck after the penultimate training session in preparation for Latics’ first League Two away game of the season.

But after getting through the Friday training session he struggled to get out of bed on match day and made a phone call to explain his predicament. Even lifting his head off the pillow was agony.

However, with the club unable to field fellow summer signing Jayson Leutwiler due to an unresolved registration issue, Rogers was the club’s only senior goalkeeper, and he was encouraged to play against Bradford.

Latics were on a high after coming back from behind in the Carabao Cup to beat Tranmere Rovers in a dramatic penalty shootout in which Rogers was the hero.

Fans who had spilled onto the pitch in celebration and raced to congratulate Rogers on two tie-winning spot kick saves, and Rogers was keen to build on that momentum. So against his better judgement he opted to soldier on.

It was a decision he soon came to regret as the extent of his pain meant he could not complete the warm-up. Then, once the game got under way, under pressure from the home side he came off his line to instinctively head the ball clear.

It was game over for him from that point.

“I had been doing well and the manager really wanted me to play so I said, ‘just suck it up and play, you’ll be okay’,” Rogers explained.

“I tried to do the warm-up and I couldn’t, and then the first thing I had to do in the game was head the ball away, and it literally just locked. I couldn’t move.

“I thought, if anybody shoots they are going to score because I can’t move and it’s just getting worse and worse and worse.

“I was begging to come off. I couldn’t believe I played the 90 minutes.

“I woke up the next morning - in a house in my own because my girlfriend and baby hadn’t moved over yet - and I couldn’t get out of bed. I was in agony.

“I had to get someone I know from Manchester to come round and help me.

“Scans showed that my disc had popped and then was pressing on one of my nerves, and the nerve pain was from my neck into my arm, so I couldn’t lift my arm up.

“I couldn’t do anything. I’m at home with a newborn trying to change a nappy one-handed. I couldn't do it.

“I was depressed for weeks because I was in that much pain. Even sitting on the couch watching telly was painful.

“They gave me nerve damage pain killers but I was like a zombie with those so I just stayed in pain.”

The only relief Rogers got from it was sleeping on the effected arm, which he had been advised not to do.

“It was an absolutely nightmare,” he said.

“I thought I was going to have to retire.”

A solution was offered through spinal surgery, but Rogers was too concerned by the risks to go through with that.

Instead he sought alternative treatment.

“Originally I was told I’d be out for eight weeks and it actually just got worse so I went back to the consultant and he said ‘give it another eight weeks’ and it got even worse,” Rogers recalled.

“So then they decided they were going to do surgery, which is obviously a big decision on your spine so I found an alternative guy in Birmingham, so I was going to see him every week. He was just a kind of chiropractor type of guy, and he got me back 10 weeks later, so it was a long time.

“Honestly I forgot about football because I was in that much pain.

But Rogers is now looking to put all that behind him after making the long road back to full fitness, returning to the squad in December and then playing his first league game for almost six months in John Sheridan’s first game back in charge last weekend.

Now he is aiming to build on a goalless draw with Rochdale against relegation rivals Scunthorpe tomorrow.

“There are a lot of games left and a lot of points to play for,” said Rogers.

“Training has been really good. He (Sheridan) has changed a few things in training and it’s more scheduled. You know the length of training, which is good then you can give your all.

“We’ll go to Scunthorpe with a game plan.

“I’m just so happy to be back out playing football because it wasn’t looking likely for a while.”