Canvey Island soccer star Ty Gooden is saddened by having to call time on his playing days at the age of 32.

Gooden has been forced to quit an illustrious career which included lengthy spells with Football League clubs Swindon and Gillingham due to persistent knee problems.

Gooden, the only local boy in the Gulls first team squad - he was born on the Island and went to Castle View School - joined Jeff King's troops at the start of last season when ankle problems forced him out of full-time football.

He played a major part last season, winning the Ryman Premier title and reaching the FA Trophy final.

He played in the side beaten by Hednesford at Villa Park and admits: "If we'd won the Trophy that day I would almost certainly have retired from football there and then.

"It would have been a good way to go out."

Gooden's main league career was with Swindon, but he signed for Gillingham, then managed by current England under-21 boss Peter Taylor, for £100,000 in the year 2000.

In his League days Gooden made well over 200 appearances for his two pro clubs -he was with Arsenal as a youngster - and scored more than 20 goals.

But this season he has been able to play only four times, twice as substitute, in the Islanders' first term at Nationwide Conference level due to knee trouble and underwent a make or break operation in November.