Joe Thompson signs for Dale

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Joe Thompson at Rochdale in 2011

Joe Thompson has signed a six-month contract with Rochdale AFC.

The midfielder, who made over 150 appearances for Rochdale before joining Tranmere Rovers for an undisclosed fee in 2012, said: “It feels good to be back – I’m home again.

“I want to go from strength-to-strength. I want to play games and I want to do well for the club. I also want to do well for myself and my family, and get back on track.

“Everyone is well aware of what has gone on in my life and I know that the club supported me really well through my hard times, so I want to give back. I’m going to give 100 percent to hopefully have a really good season and to crack on.

“I’ve already had a look at the fixtures and I’m raring to go. I’ve got my own little targets, so we’ll go from there. They’ll be kept in-house and I’ll know when I’ve ticked them off and I’ll know when I need to go on again.”