The 43-year-old had only been with Rylands since August 2022.

He enjoyed an illustrious career across the Football League, with over 800 career appearances to date.

Born in Liverpool, he played non-League football until he was 22 with the likes of Southport and Chorley, when after a goals-filled season at Altrincham he switched to Peter Taylor’s Leicester City side.

He boasts one sole Premier League appearance for Leicester in 2001, coming on as a late substitute against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

He soon moved on and spent three years at Stockport County and then had a successful season at Chester City.

He moved to Tranmere Rovers in the summer of 2006, a season later he returned to Chester then two years on he joined Rotherham United.

In 2011 he signed for Morecambe, for whom he played into his 40s and achieve cult status.

In September 2020 at the age of 41 and following his release by Morecambe, he signed a deal with Newport County after an impressive trial, combining playing duties with coaching the Welsh club’s strikers.

He turned down the offer to remain at Newport in a coaching capacity to continue playing.