THE longest four months in Darren Edmondson’s life ended recently with a simple phone call – and he was back in football.

Bradford Park Avenue have appointed ‘Edmo’ as caretaker manager until the end of the season – and if he can keep them in National North the job is likely to be permanent.

Mind you it wasn’t a straightforward call-to-arms. Edmondson had been on ‘gardening leave’ from Barrow since November and the two club chairmen had to reach an agreement.

“That took a bit longer than I was hoping and, in fact, my assistant Alex Meechan has been at Bradford longer than I have,” admits Edmondson.

“I was hoping to get the all clear to be in charge for the Chorley game but it didn’t come through so Alex was there and we won 2-0.

“When I had my first game against Fylde it only lasted 30-odd minutes before it was abandoned because of the conditions.

“But we got a very good win over Harrogate on Easter Monday. It was 3-1 and their goal didn’t come until the 93rd minute. There are actually some decent players at the club and although we were only three points off the relegation zone we do have a good number of matches in hand,” he says.

That should be a doddle compared to how things were when he arrived at Barrow in December 2013 when they were in the Conference North’s bottom four.

Not only did he lead them into the top half of the season but the following season he steered them back to the National Conference.

His reward seven months later, with Barrow just below mid-table, was to be replaced by Paul Cox and sent away to tend the flowerbeds.

“It was the chairman’s decision and it’s his club and his money. Since then I’ve tried to analyse what I did wrong, what I could have done different and how to do things differently next time.

“Obviously I wanted to stay in the game, but in truth there weren’t many opportunities and the phone didn’t ring until the other week.

“It’s been a very strange period of my life because for 26 years I’ve been involved in football.

“Christmas was the first time I’d really been able to relax and enjoy the festivities with the family. That was strange after all those years in the game,” he says.

That career started in 1990 when the Coniston-born defender made his Carlisle United debut and over the next seven years clocked-up 214 appearances for the Blues.

Huddersfield Town (37), Plymouth (4 on loan), York City (131) and Chester City (27) also added to a formidable total of Football League games.

There was a brief chance to cut his managerial teeth at Barrow when he stepped-up as a player to be caretaker boss in 2005.

But it was at Workington where he really started to learn the ropes as a manager, staying from 2007 until 2013 and in the process became the Reds longest-ever serving manager.

Edmo is philosophical about his two years at Holker Street.

“Someone said that you become a better manager after you’ve been sacked. Whether that’s true or not, you certainly take stock and wonder how you can do things different next time.

“I have been really keen to get back into football but I haven’t been wasting time. I’ve been to Burnley, Blackburn and Fleetwood to watch training sessions and I’ve been invited to Sunderland before the end of the season.

“I think you always have to be looking and learning in this game. I’ve watched National Conference and National North games just to keep up to speed on players, so that when a job came along I would be clued up.

“I have to go with what I’ve got at Bradford but I think they are a good bunch. I’ve already told them they must have been under-achieving given the ability they have.”

Interestingly, he invited Alex Meechan to join him at Bradford as his number two after rather inheriting him at Barrow where he had been in charge of the team before Edmo arrived.

“It’s funny how things work out. He’s a bubbly character whose good to have around and I like the way he pts his ideas across. He’s very honest and tells me exactly what he thinks.

“I think we work well as a partnership and I’m pleased he’s with me for what lies ahead at Bradford,” says the new Park Avenue boss.

And what’s on the immediate agenda is a trip to Solihull tomorrow to take on the League leaders.

But Edmo is optimistic - “I know it well from my time at Workington and Barrow. Obviously they are going great guns and it will be a test but from what I’ve seen of the Bradford lads they are more than capable of giving them a very good game.”

Edmondson is clearly buzzing again, and so too apparently are Bradford Park Avenue!