"I'm just a small part in a much bigger team," says sports rehabilitator, Harry Brooke, questioning why he could possibly be the subject of an interview.

"You have to tell them about the banter that goes on," says Harry, warming to the task. "Oh and mention my wife, Emma and daughter Katie Lauren (born on New Year's Day) and I'll keep a copy forever."
Job done.

Harry, who is on his way across country during this interview, driven by the aforementioned Emma, calls me back: several times. On each occasion, little snippets of information are gently teased. Quite rightly he doesn't want to give away any professional information about the players he treats or any of the industry secrets about the detailed work the medical team do. Nor does he like to shout about his own qualities. Harry's your ultimate team player.

He's fiercely loyal to his colleagues, for example he refuses to reveal their nicknames even under the fiercest of cross-examinations.

"I think you can say that we are involved in injury prevention and that we are a group of professionals in the medical team."

Brooke started his medical career at the sharp end. He worked for 5 years as a nurse in the A and E department of a major district general hospital in Bristol. Outside of work, his twin passions were football and boxing. He boxed as an amateur and blames that for his lack of success on the football field. "My ears slowed me down too much," he chuckles. "Yes, you can print that," he replies, as I check that I won't be pinned against the medical room wall for causing offence. I understand he was quite a handy amateur boxer, so I'm not arguing.

After A and E, he went into sports therapy and was involved in lower league football for 15 years before getting the opportunity to join the Wanderers backroom team. It's a medical team that includes the doctor, the physios, the strength and conditioning team and sports rehabilitators, plus the specialists — a chiropractic, an acupuncturist and a podiatrist.

"I was living 200 miles away in Gloucester, but when the chance came to work here I jumped at it. When I was studying I worked at Bury Football Club and Southampton, but it is great to be at Premier League level and being part of such a talented team. I am surrounded by a group of talented specialists and it is a pleasure to work with them. They are a great bunch. I might spot a potential problem and mention it to one of the team and together we can organise a plan of action that can prevent an injury."

"In my opinion, our job is to do our little bits to the best of our ability. Taken together, these will offer the best chance for the manager to field his best side and give him options. That's why I view my role as very much a small part of a much bigger team that's ultimately about the side doing well. We are a close knit team and work on drills together, putting together care and treatment plans for players."

On a day-to-day basis, Harry and the medical team work very closely with the players.

"You get to know their needs and you get to know their personalities too. There is always a little bit of banter among the medical staff and with other members of the staff. It's a very happy ship. Anyone who says there isn't a good atmosphere among the lads doesn't know what they are talking about. They don't know Bolton Wanderers.

"For match days we practice certain drills and on the days of games we try to help prepare the players, but a good match day for us is when the players are happy and the manager is happy.

"It's a great job. Having worked in the lower leagues for many years, to be given the chance to work in the Premier League is wonderful. It's the highest level."

Brooke doesn't like to mention it, but he also works in Bolton boxer Amir Khan's camp performing a similar sports rehabilitation role. He's been with Khan since just after the Athens Olympics which propelled him to national fame.

"It's been a few years now and I am really grateful for the club for allowing me to carry on working with Amir. He is a real pleasure to work with and it's really satisfying because I love my boxing."

Brooke also praises the club's enlightened view about training.

"It is a good place to work, because they really believe in helping you train. I am being helped too, along the way, to taking a physiotherapy degree, which is great for me. The club and the manager are very good about that kind of thing. It has given me a chance to better myself."