CHORLEY have put Neil Mitchell's career back on track before and the Magpies have repeated the trick this season, to the mutual benefit of the club and the former England schoolboy star.

Mitchell's promising career, which saw him chalk up nearly 80 Football League appearances with Blackpool, Rochdale, on loan, and Macclesfield, was running out of steam before Bryan Griffiths took him to Chorley a couple of years ago.

Then, when he lost his place and left the club following the arrival of Dalton Steele last season, it was back down to a lower grade of football again when he joined Fleetwood Freeport.

But a summer return to Chorley under Ken Wright has rekindled Mitchell's spark and the striker's rich vein of form has helped the UniBond League First Division club take some welcome steps back in the right direction.

"I've got 11 goals so far and I'm very pleased with the way it's going. The manager has given me more freedom to do what I want and not put pressure on me to defend.

"This season has been my best season so far and I'm hoping to get towards 20 goals," said Mitchell, whose twin-strike against Farsley Celtic on Monday lifted Chorley into the top eight.

The 25-year-old made a highly promising start to his Blackpool career under Billy Ayre and had his most productive season in 1994/95, when he figured in 30 League games for the Seasiders, alongside the likes of current Burnley midfielder Micky Mellon and Huddersfield Town's Chris Beech. "I was doing well but I didn't agree a new contract. It went from bad to worse and I went out of the game," revealed Mitchell, who subsequently helped Macclesfield into the Football League and chalked up a handful of Third Division appearances for the Silkmen.

From there he spent six months at Morecambe, and then looked set to disappear into the First North Western Trains League when Chorley stepped in for the first time.

However, after a bright start at Victory Park, Mitchell lost his way and was one of a bunch of players moved out by Dalton Steele as Chorley fought a losing battle against relegation last season.

"Dalton brought his own players in and I wasn't figuring. But there was no doubt that I wanted to come back and I was delighted when I got the chance this season," said Mitchell, who now makes his living as a postman and accepts that his full-time playing days are over.

But he is not without ambitions in the semi-professional game.

"We want to get back into the Premier League. That's the aim at the moment."

And the chances of that?

"Perhaps not this year but certainly next," added Mitchell, who hopes that Monday's win over Celtic could at least be the platform for a highly respectable finish this time round after last season's problems. "We are doing very well away from home and just struggling a bit at home. If we can start getting our home form right, we will be up there and hopefully the win on Monday might be the start," said the front man, whose form has delighted Wright and justified the manager's faith in his summer signing.

"The lad is a good player but, like anything else, it's a confidence thing.

"He's a flair player, so he's not going to run around throwing himself into challenges.

"But you've got to use his better qualities to your advantage and, to be honest, all I've tried to do is encourage him to get the ball at his feet," said Wright, whose side face a Bank Holiday trip to Workington next Monday.

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