It was at the unfamiliar setting of Newcastle United's academy in Little Benton where Jabo Ibehre's life took an unwanted turn. The striker had just finished that day's session, at Carlisle's temporary training base after the December floods, when his mobile rang.

His partner, Hayley, told the striker that she was taking their baby daughter, Finley, to hospital. "She hadn't been herself, and her temperature kept on spiking," Ibehre says. "Mother's instinct, really. She [Hayley] knew something wasn't quite right."

Ibehre made the long journey home to London, unsure how serious Finley's ailment was. "You're thinking it was maybe a cold or a slight infection," he says. "So when you then hear the word "meningitis", it knocks the stuffing out of you."

The diagnosis, Ibehre says, came after he and his partner had urged doctors to test Finley for the disease. "They weren't sure if she was showing the signs for it, but we were quite insistent they did the test. Once they did, we found out it was bacterial meningitis."

The period between waiting for and receiving this news, and then the first, anxious spell of treatment, is now recalled vividly by Ibehre, who - with Finley having since made a good recovery - wanted to talk about the ordeal to help raise awareness of the illness.

"You're there, watching your little child, nothing you can do apart from hope and pray," he says. "She's so small, and tiny, and in pain, and you're there in hospital, with days going past, wondering if she's improving.

"Your emotions are running high. You're tired, up all night with her, not sleeping or eating. You get dejected and beat up. The first few days we weren't sure if she was improving, if the medicine was kicking in or not. But by the third day her temperature had started to settle and people were being a bit more reassuring."

Three days later, after further improvement in the hands of medics Ibehre describes as "brilliant", Finley was allowed home. "We were able to administer antibiotics ourselves, by cannula, for a couple more weeks," Ibehre says. "Then we had to wait for some more results.

"Even though she's home, you still don't know if she's out of the woods. You wonder if it's gone, this bacteria in the brain. Until the all-clear, you're still not convinced."

Finley's condition meant Ibehre spent New Year's Eve in hospital, while he was excused from Carlisle's game against Plymouth, at Blackburn's Ewood Park, on January 2. A few days later he felt comfortable enough with his daughter's progress to return to Cumbria - but this, he says, remained a trying time.

"Especially with not working close to my home, it's still anxious," he says. "I knew my family were in good hands, but the whole experience takes more out of you than you realise. You're catching up from lack of sleep and stress. And every phonecall, for some time, you're thinking, 'Is everything alright?' even before you answer. You're on alert.

"The manager [Keith Curle] and everyone at the club were fantastic, helped me get back into the swing of things. But you can't predict how something like that can affect you."

While Ibehre cites this draining time as a possible reason why he wasn't as sharp on the pitch as he had been earlier in the season - he scored 14 goals before Christmas. but only three in the new year - he happily reports that Finley, who turned one last week, is now "fine - doing very, very well. She's not on medication now, just a normal, happy baby, trying to grow up quick!"

Yet it cannot be overstated how different it could have been, had Ibehre and his partner not been so vigilant. Inevitably the new parents have read extensively about meningitis and their findings have made their feelings of relief more profound.

"In our case, two days later and it could have been a totally different story," he reflects. "I read something online about someone who had a similar strain [to Finley] and...they didn't make it.

"It could have affected [Finley] growing up - or potentially dying. Sometimes you have to count yourself lucky. We caught it early enough for the antibiotics to do their work. So what I'd say to anyone else is, if in doubt, it's worth going in [to hospital]. It might disrupt your evening but it's better to be safe than sorry."

This traumatic time interrupted a period on the pitch when Ibehre was establishing himself as a crowd favourite at Carlisle. "Sometimes you've got to make sure family's right, and that's what I did," he adds. "Football's amazing, but sometimes there are more amazing things."

He speaks just as warmly about how Hayley handled the situation. "Mothers are special people, aren't they?" he says. "They have to try and be strong for everyone, not always at the best of times. That's the power and nature of an amazing lady. She came through it all so well."

The early weeks of this close-season are allowing Ibehre to spend some lasting time with Finley - and also reflect with a layered perspective on his first season with Carlisle. Before his family crisis, the 33-year-old was finding the net with abandon for Curle's rebuilt team. A flag emblazoned with his new nickname, 'The Islington Assassin', paid tribute to his newly voracious goalscoring.

Ibehre sprang into life as a Carlisle player after committing to Curle's project last summer. He scored seven goals in August and at one stage looked as though he could break records.

"When I was on that run, I thought I could go for 30 [goals]," he says. "Even in the back of my mind I was trying to catch that Hughie guy!"

The feats of the legendary McIlmoyle, whose statue stands outside Brunton Park, were beyond him, but nonetheless it was a stunning spell from a player who had not always been prolific with past clubs. "It sounds weird, but when people talk about being in the zone, I found the best thing to do was stay out of it," he says. "Don't think about crossing the road - just cross it.

"It was funny, bright, nice, a new place, new experience. Fun. Sometimes things take care of themselves. I wasn't putting too much thought into it - just enjoying the smile on my team-mates' faces.

"When you're in that mad form, you don't know when it's gonna end. So I just enjoyed it."

Things, alas, did not continue in this productive vein in the new year. Ibehre, who had nearly two months out with a hamstring injury in the autumn, and then suffered further injury and illness in early 2016, was not the force he had been. His two goals on the final day at Notts County were his first for 16 games, and his wave to the crowd after full-time was interpreted by some as a farewell gesture - but two days later it was revealed that he had triggered a contract extension.

He laughs at the suggestion he may have been saying goodbye. "I often wave to everyone," he says. "I don't think people can read too much into that."

There had also been speculation that Eastleigh, the ambitious National League club, were trying to tempt Ibehre back south. This he dismisses as a "rumour", denying he has ever been contacted about their interest.

Right now, he says, this time is about "recharging the batteries" and reflecting. "I enjoyed the Liverpool game, that was quite an experience," he says of Carlisle's Capital One Cup run. "A lot of the early league games, we kept on coming back from losing positions. The Hartlepool match [a 3-2 win] stuck out for me, and Cambridge, when I scored my first career hat-trick, was a nice feeling. We had that never-say-die attitude.

"It's a shame we couldn't end the season doing something really great. You look back and think maybe we missed a chance there. But with a few additions, a tweak here and there, we won't be too far short."

He insists he does not yet yearn to return home for good. "I didn't move to Carlisle with closed eyes," he says. "I didn't think it was just around the corner. I like to test myself, to improve as a sportsman and individual. Step outside the comfort zone. I could have stayed closer to home but I came here and enjoyed it.

"I don't do things just to be comfortable. I do what's best for me at the time, how I feel in that moment. At a certain stage, if I feel it's time to be closer to home, I'll do what's best for how I feel."

Ibehre found Carlisle and Cumbria a warm place, even in a year which brought flooding misery to the area. "I went down to Talkin Tarn a few times, and there are loads of really nice places to go. The people make you feel so welcome, especially when they know you play for Carlisle. The floods were obviously serious, but people still got behind us. It's a really nice experience."

It is reassuring to hear these sunny thoughts, given what he has been through - and reassuring to hear, down the phone, Finley calling for her father. "Yeah, she's keeping me busy," he chuckles. "It's been a special, amazing time since she came into our lives. Every moment is great."