It warms the heart to see Tony Mowbray back in football management after his battle with cancer – his return is one of the stories of the season, writes MATT BARLOW

There was no great sense of ceremony. No drumroll nor fanfare. That’s hardly his style and yet it was no ordinary comeback as Tony Mowbray strolled out at the Hawthorns.

Thick woollen cardigan buttoned to the top underneath a blazer flapping about in the wind, he emerged from the tunnel, gave all sides of the ground a cheery wave as he walked round for a minute or so and disappeared again.

He clapped his hands, raised a thumb, and skilfully trousered a large pouch of Revels, his favourite chocolates dutifully supplied by mascot Baggie Bird via a slick handshake routine.

West Bromwich Albion fans sang his name, those who travelled from Stoke City applauded and, while he would not have been in the market for sympathy, all those present had the same swell of emotion.

It warmed the heart to see Mowbray back looking strong and healthy, braced for another challenge in the Championship at a club he knows well, one year after taking medical leave from Birmingham City to fight bowel cancer.

There followed 10 hours of surgery to remove 15 centimetres of his bowel and the cancerous tumour, and four courses of chemotherapy.

It warmed the heart to see Mowbray back looking strong and healthy, braced for another challenge in the Championship at a club he knows well

At one stage he was taking 22 tablets a day and his wife Amber was driving him regularly on the five-hour round trip to Manchester’s Christie Hospital for two-to-three hours on a saline drip and back. Mowbray would curl himself onto the back seat and sleep.

He lost four-and-a-half stone. And he thought about death. He saw fear in the eyes of his children and recognised it from the ordeal of watching cancer kill his first wife Bernadette at 26.

That’s when he called Birmingham and told them he would have to step down to fight for his life.

So, no ordinary comeback. Mowbray stepped back into football with a clean bill of health. Free from cancer for six months and with his latest check on Tuesday clearing him to return to West Brom.

‘I’m know I’m ready, I’m burning,’ he told the Athletic in a moving interview as his appointment was confirmed on Friday.

Mowbray had made it onto a three-man shortlist but appeared to have lost out in favour of Raphael Wicky, the Swiss former head coach of Basle and Young Boys.

Wicky turned it down, and Mowbray accepted and very few fans appeared too disappointed with the outcome. Many of them quick to recall the white-knuckle thrill of his three years at the helm from 2006.

First, defeat in the play-off final, followed by promotion as champions, scoring 100 goals across all competitions, followed by relegation although supporters refused to turn on him.

A packet of Mowbray’s favourite chocolate, Revels, was given to him by the West Brom mascot which he duly accepted

They travelled to Blackburn in Mowbray masks for the final fixture, a surreal culmination to a campaign when they finished bottom of the Premier League with 32 points but only three points from safety.

Mowbray refused to abandon his attractive brand of football although he did lament the fact his team contained ‘too many artists and not enough soldiers’, a phrase that still resounds among supporters as does another of his favourite sayings about players with ‘lovely soft feet’.

Fond memories and Mowbrayisms were revived on Saturday. ‘Christmas Eve vibes,’ according to Alistair Jones, a season ticket holder for 43 years and a driving force behind the Action for Albion protest group, a catalyst for the end of Guochuan Lai’s unpopular ownership and the takeover by Shilen Patel.

At the training ground, Mowbray met the players for a five-minute introductory chat which went on for 20 minutes and watched the 1-1 draw from the stands, popping downstairs at half time to offer some nuggets of advice to the interim coaching team led by Chris Brunt.

‘His passion for football is unreal,’ said Brunt, who was signed by Mowbray in 2007 and went on to play for 13 years at the club. ‘He’s just a good football man and we’re delighted to have him back.’

Mowbray had previously stepped down from his position at Birmingham after his cancer diagnosis

The hard starts on Monday for Mowbray, taking charge again for a trip to his native Middlesbrough, where he came through the ranks as a teenage centre half in a time of crisis, rose quickly to captain the club and forged a reputation as an inspirational leader.

He returned to manage Boro after following his heart from West Brom to Celtic and then Teesside before his managerial career settled and he drew admiration for his work at Blackburn and Sunderland.

His teams are adventurous and easy on the eye and, together with loyal assistant Mark Venus, he improves young players along the way. Premier League starlets Adam Wharton and Amad Diallo are among those to benefit under his tutelage. Lovely soft feet, the pair of them.

Mowbray’s return is one of the stories of the season. Uplifting, good news for football and hopefully positive for West Bromwich Albion. An emotional night is in store when he steps back onto the touchline on Tuesday at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium. More than just another comeback.

Denis Law reminds us football is about the great players

Poignant reflections on Manchester United’s Holy Trinity and the wonderful life of Denis Law should remind us how the greatest teams are built around the great players.

As true now as then. Managers matter, it is important to have the right people driving the clubs. But we inflate their importance. Football is about the players. Put three great ones in a team and great success beckons.

Poignant reflections on Manchester United’s Holy Trinity and the wonderful life of Denis Law should remind us how the greatest teams are built around the great players

Klopp’s still got Trent’s back

Jurgen Klopp works for Red Bull now, but that doesn’t stop him getting worked up about criticism of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

‘I still can’t believe you discuss that he can’t defend,’ said Klopp, aghast at his unveiling in the new job last week. Maybe it’s all the caffeine.

Few know better than he how Alexander-Arnold’s creative flair trumps his defensive limitations in a team dominating the ball. An attacking force from right back, he unlocked Brentford for the opener on Saturday. That’s his true value and Liverpool will find it hard to replace.

Jurgen Klopp works for Red Bull now, but that doesn’t stop him getting worked up about criticism of Trent Alexander-Arnold

Alexander-Arnold continues to be criticised over his defensive capabilities in Liverpool’s side

Nathan Lowe continues scoring run on Stoke return

Loan recalls can halt promising campaigns but there is no stopping Walsall. Top scorer Nathan Lowe was recalled by Stoke for whom he started and scored at West Bromwich Albion.

It was the 19th of the season for 19-year-old Lowe. Just four miles away, Walsall were thumping four past Milton Keynes Dons to make it nine wins in a row in League Two.

Lack of opportunities for black former players remains scarce

During a couple of hours with Les Ferdinand as part of his campaign to increase awareness that one in four black men will get prostate cancer, we discussed his hopes of getting back into football in an executive role after eight years as QPR’s director of football.

Mail Sport’s Matt Barlow spoke with Les Ferdinand as part of his campaign to increase awareness that one in four black men will get prostate cancer

In this area, unfortunately, he pointed out the probabilities for black men are less strong. In a fast-expanding executive tier among top English clubs, job opportunities for black former players are as scarce as they ever were.

World’s oldest clubs set to collide

The oldest clubs in world football will collide on Monday at the world’s oldest ground when Hallam host Sheffield in a county cup match at Sandygate, where they first met on Boxing Day 1860.

They reside one division apart in tiers eight and nine these days and this will be the first time they have met in competitive action since 2012. Tickets have sold out.