A mountain to climb? Frank Is your man ...in Africa and Oldham

PEOPLE'S champion Frank Rothwell is an intrepid eccentric who has rowed solo across the Atlantic twice in his seventies and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

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But saving Oldham Athletic from oblivion has been his toughest gig.

Now he is 90 minutes from his rescue act’s crowning glory. If they climb back into the Football League at tomorrow's National League play-off final against Southend, it will be Oldham's first promotion for 34 years.

When the Latics chairman bought Oldham and land around Boundary Park for £12million three years ago, he led a brass band down Sheepfoot Lane to the ground in a triumphal march. Footage of Rothwell thanking all 399 travelling supporters for making a long-haul excursion to Braintree just before Christ-mas with a handshake almost broke the internet.

It's a far cry from the dark days of previous owner Abdallah Lemsagam's chaotic reign, culminating in coffins being carried to mark the death of the club, pitch invasions, boycotts and games being halted by cascades of tennis balls.

The 22,000 Latics fans making the Wembley pilgrimage will include a special contingent. Rothwell revealed: "Most men of my age have a bucket list of things to do before the sun sets, but I haven't got one - I've been lucky in business, lucky in love and lucky in life.