RETIRING Ian Cottrill bows out of the Worcester City limelight with no regrets but admits to a tinge of envy at not being part of what he sees as a title challenging campaign.

The veteran of 431 games is backing John Barton and his squad to make a serious tilt at the championship but cruel luck with injury has ended any hopes he had of playing a part.

Despite paying £2,000 for a knee operation last December the popular 33-year-old has had to admit defeat in his bid to retain a place in Barton's squad.

However the City favourite refuses to bemoan his bad luck and instead chooses to look back on a career in which he played more than 600 games for City and Nuneaton Borough.

"I've always enjoyed the crack with the lads which is what I will miss most," he said. "I've also played with some great players - the likes of Steve Fergusson, Joe Jackson and John McGrath when I first started - and later with people like Carl Heeley who I must have played something like 350 games with."

Looking to the present Cottrill believes City have a realistic shot at the title if Barton's small squad is lucky with injuries.

"I played with George Rooney in a reasonably successful side that was always top six and John has nearly got them back to that sort of position but with a chance of really making a challenge if they can stay free of injury," he said.

"My biggest disappointment is that I won't be able to be a part of challenge.

"The last 18 months have been a bit of a blip with four operations but when you look at others I've been relatively lucky," he added.

"You only have to look at the likes of Mark Owen, who had a double fracture which he has hopefully put behind him, but that could have cut short his career at just 23 or Kieran Hemstock, who was in the first team, broke his leg and hasn't played since so really I have been lucky."

Cottrill's decision to quit the game is testimony to his determination to always give 100 per cent and, with injury preventing him from doing that, was left with no option but to call it a day.

"If I just played from Saturday to Saturday the knee would have the chance to recover but you need to be at a certain level of fitness and I didn't want to let anybody down or play at a standard less than I am capable of," he said.