FORMER Stourport Swifts loan man Ian Cottrill has been forced to retire from football.

The 33-year-old, who made 431 appearances for Worcester City over 15 years, has been struggling with wear and tear on his knee.

Midfielder Cottrill spent a successful loan spell at Walshes Meadow last season, picking up a man-of-the-match award along the way.

The former Nuneaton Borough man had been involved in pre-season training at Worcester but his knee problem flared up in a reserve game with Studley.

Cottrill said: "I hoped everything might be OK because I did all the pre-season but it just folded up and after half-an-hour I was in pain."

He is now hoping to finalise a testimonial game between Worcester and Wolverhampton Wanderers.