18thaug03

Herne Bay's Brown forced to quit

Former Whitstable Town player. Neil Brown, who has been for the last few seasons arguably Herne Bay's consistent player is to hang up his football boots due to a persistent knee problem, writes Tony Rouse.

The youth team coach at Nationwide League side Gillingham said: " The choice is to try to carry on playing, but the knee is so bad that that really is not an option. If I decided to continue I would need an operation and that mean 3 months off work. I think realistically the time has come, as much as I love it, to stop playing football." When asked about reports that his pre-season form with 'Bay' had been good, at times reportedly the best player on the park: "That's for others to say, I always like to play football, and give of my best, if others think I have played well that fine, I just wish the knee was ok and I could continue. I think that my playing days are now over"