Deadline Day: Dan Gardner relieved after Doncaster Rovers threw him a career lifeline

Responding in the only sensible way they could, clubs across the Football League and further down the pyramid released a raft of professional footballers, unable to justify paying them at the same rate after Covid-19 transformed their finances for the worse.

Even some who made 30 or 40 league appearances last season were reluctantly shown the door by clubs facing a new financial reality.

Thanks to Jean-Marc Bosman, for those at the top of the tree being a free agent is a long way from a disaster. Lionel Messi would have preferred to stay with Barcelona, but Plan B and a lucrative move to Paris Saint-Germain worked out pretty well.

But none of the around 4,000 professional footballers in this country are Messi and only the high-profile few are millionaires.

Most have mortgages to pay and usually young families to look after.

They have to work and football is often all they know.

Take Gardner for instance, a former Crewe Alexandra, Droylsden, Halifax Town, Chesterfield, Tranmere Rovers, Bury and Oldham Athletic midfielder who was released by Wigan Athletic in the summer after 36 League One appearances last season.

A 31-year-old he should have plenty of miles in the tank but as soon as a footballer’s age starts with a three, clubs grow wary.

This pre-season Gardner joined the masses of out-of-work players taking trials across the country, hoping to impress Doncaster manager Richie Wellens.

Confident in his ability and buoyed by the fact his former manager Wellens approached him, Gardner was always optimistic but money is tight at the Keepmoat Stadium and he only got his one-year deal the day before the new season kicked off after three weeks training at Cantley Park.

An injury at that stage, a badly-timed bout of coronavirus, or the inability to move on enough players to free up the funds, and his search would have started again.

Clubs can still sign free agents after tonight’s 11pm transfer deadline but by then most will have spent up, and many squads will be at their limit – 25 senior players in the Premier League and Championship, 22 in Leagues One and Two.

“I know a lot of good players who are coming off the back of contracts at good clubs and they’re still not sorted so it’s worrying times,” says Gardner. “Hopefully the pandemic sorts itself out and people can get sorted because it’s not nice to see.

“It’s a tough, tough period coming off the back of Covid. Clubs are hit badly financially and can’t do what they want to do. Clubs want to sign players but can’t really afford to.

“It was hard when you didn’t know what was going to happen but you’ve just got to believe in yourself.

“You’ve always got it in the back of your mind about getting injured.

“You go into a club knowing there may be a contract but if you’re out for a couple of months you’ll be struggling to get another club.

“Not knowing where you’re going to be and whether you’re going to get a contract anywhere is stressful.”

Gardner impressed Wellens when they worked together at Oldham.

“I spoke to the manager when he got the (Doncaster) job because he was at a few of my games last season at Wigan and he said he’d like to sign me so it was more a question of when funds came available,” explained Gardner.

“It’s a big club, I’ve played here a lot of times, they’ve always played good football, the ground, the training ground, the pitch is always immaculate.

“I played here last season and the pitch was the best I’d played on.

“I was confident but you never know in football.

“I was here for three weeks and I was getting quite comfortable in training.”

If anything, Gardner’s age may have worked in his favour.

“People say it’s a young person’s game but you do need that experience in your teams and hopefully I’ll bring that,” he says.

“I’d always put my team-mates, not before me, but with me. If I see something I can help with I’ll speak to a younger lad.

“From the outside looking in people think once you hit that 30 mark you’re coming towards the end but I feel like a young 31-year-old.

“I never miss training, train as well as I can every day and give my all in games.”

Things have worked out well for Gardner but there will be more sob stories than happy ones among out-of-work triallists this transfer window.