GARY Madine is ready to relaunch his career in the National League with Hartlepool United and make his mum happy!

The former Wanderers favourite is close to returning to football after a cruciate ligament injury which had him contemplating hanging up his boots at the age of 33.

Madine was released by Blackpool in the summer of 2023 and has been through his rehabilitation without a club but has now signed a short-term deal in the North East, close to his family home.

“It’s the closest I have ever played to home because I have been living away since I was 16,” he said. “Basically, I just play football for my mum. She loves coming on a Saturday and watching me play, so now she’s 30 minutes up the road and she can come to every game. She’s over the moon.”

Gateshead-born Madine played 107 games for Wanderers, scoring 27 goals, and helping them secure promotion from League One under Phil Parkinson in 2017.

He moved to Cardiff City for £6million in January 2018 and went on to play in the Premier League.

Now into his thirties, Madine is able to draw on the experience of a career which has seen plenty of success but also its fair share of controversy, and pass it on the Hartlepool’s younger players.

“I quite enjoy that role now,” he said. “Over the last few years, I took it on quite a lot at Blackpool, it is what the gaffer liked me to do there, help the young lads and advise them.

“I have made lots of mistakes, every mistake you can think of in my career, so if I can pass on information on what not to do to the kids, then I’ll be fine on that front.”

Madine trained with Hartlepool for a few weeks before being offered a deal and will now step up his workload in training before looking to return to the pitch.

“It has been hard, a lot of days on your own in the gym with no light at the end of the tunnel,” he said of his recovery. “But I feel good now, I have trained and had a few minutes behind closed doors, so I can’t wait to get back out there.

“I’m not quite there yet. The physios have got a little programme for me so it will be a couple of weeks yet but I want to get out there as soon as possible.”