Glapwell assistant manager Kevin Gee said this week: “We are delighted to have secured the playing services of Mick Godber (pictured) at Glapwell Football Club this year.

“Mick has always been a long term target for us but, as he was assistant player manager to outgoing Retford United boss Peter Duffield, we had to respect that both Mick and Peter needed to look at their own options first after leaving Retford at the end of last season and see whether or not anything developed in the summer, and then if Mick himself would consider a season playing again and just take a break from all the issues surrounding football management at our level.”

37-year-old Godber’s prolific goal-scoring career began with Staveley Miners Welfare where he scored 43 goals in two seasons before moving to Sheffield FC to become top scorer in the Northern Counties East League with 36 goals in the 1999-2000 season.

Godber then moved to Ossett Albion, but Alfreton Town signed him in December 2001 and the considerable total of 103 goals he scored whilst playing for The Reds helped them get promoted back into the UniBond League that season and then win successive promotions to get them into the newly-formed Nationwide North, before he surprisingly left North Street after five seasons to join ambitious NCEL Premier Division side Retford United in August 2006.

And Godber continued to find the back of the net for his new side, the popular striker scoring a massive 106 goals in 135 games over a period of four seasons that saw The Badgers gain promotion to the UniBond League Division One South in that first season and then disappointingly miss out on another promotion the following season due to ground grading issues after finishing as Champions, but incredibly repeating the feat the season after that, with Godber as assistant player manager, to take their rightful place in the UniBond Premier Division at the start of the 2009-2010 season with all previous issues regarding their Cannon Park ground having been resolved.

Gee went on to say: “For us, a fit Mick Godber means Glapwell having one of the best strikers in the Northern Premier League, so to have secured his services was a terrific boost to the squad who came back this week for the start of pre-season training and all 18 players looked like they had prepared well for the new campaign, which will be of course at the Field Mill Stadium.

“We at Glapwell know that playing at the home of Mansfield Town this season will bring its own issues within our member clubs and we have got to be strong enough, both mentally and physically, to be able to cope with that, and Mick Godber, with all his experience, will play a big part in that.”

Godber will be partnering Ian Brown when the new season starts, but Glapwell’s front line was further boosed this week with vastly experienced striker Neil Grayson committing himself to the club for another season and by the signing of striker Dean Oliver, who returns to Glapwell for a second spell from Evo-Stik Division One South rivals Belper Town.