JODY Banim has the old buzz back after making a hero’s return to Radcliffe Borough.

The 37-year-old striker endured a disappointing third debut for the club on Saturday, coming off the bench in a 2-0 defeat at Witton Albion.

And he was unavailable for selection on Tuesday night, when Banim’s new side thrashed his former club Ashton United 5-1 in the quarter-finals of the Manchester Premier Cup.

But despite being unable to celebrate with his new team-mates on the pitch, the Boro legend says he is eager for his own taste of success on his return to the Belvoir Stadium.

“I made a decision to retire from football four or five years ago because I had lost my desire to play week in, week out,” he said.

“Once you lose that, most players don’t get it back.

“I have a career as a recruitment consultant and thought that was that.

“But I wanted to get back into shape so I asked the Ashton United manager whether I could train with them. I played a few games in the reserves, then this move back to Boro came out of the blue.

“The truth is I have been bitten by the football bug again.

“I feel in good shape. I don’t feel like the game passed me by in the 20 minutes I spent on the pitch.

“So if the manager wants me to start then I am ready, and if it works out I would be happy to stay until the end of the season then see where we go from there.”

Banim accepts he is a different player from the one that set a national record for most goals scored in consecutive games during his first spell at Boro 13 years ago.

Given a free role by then manager Kevin Glendon, he rattled in 97 goals in 125 appearances, including that record of scoring in 14 games in a row.

It provided the launchpad for moves to Football League clubs Shrewsbury Town, Accrington Stanley, Torquay United and Burton Albion.

In between he scored more than 100 goals for Droylsden in the Conference, and banged in 12 goals in 24 appearances in a second spell at Boro. But he never quite hit the same heights.

“Kevin gave me the freedom to play,” he said. “It was the same at Droylsden. The managers were under no pressure for their jobs so felt able to let me roam.

“In the Football League, I don’t think my managers knew what to do with me.

“I didn’t fit into a 4-4-2 formation, and they could not afford to experiment.

“It’s different now, I am less mobile than I was, but I feel I can hold the ball up well and help bring other players into the game.

“And hopefully I can pass on some of my experience.”

Banim was thrust back into the spotlight recently when Leicester’s Jamie Vardy threatened his scoring record.

And he added: “I was embarrassed. You can’t compare what I did with a player in the Premier League, but I am proud of the record and glad to still have it.”