Colchester United goalkeeper Simon Brown is celebrating the news he has been waiting for all season.

But there was gloomy news for the U's former Welsh international midfielder Geraint Williams who has been forced to end his playing career because of injury.

Former Tottenham Hotspur keeper Brown, 23, who has been playing on short-term contracts since he was signed by controversial ex-U's boss Mick Wadsworth at the start of the season, has finally been handed a new deal which will keep him at Layer Road until the end of next season.

"It's great news," said Brown. "The manager told me months ago he was going to give me a contract and I was always going to be his number one.

"Now that it's happened it is certainly a weight off my shoulders."

Brown added: "I wanted to sign for Colchester because they are a good club, and playing in Division Two it has been a good first season for me.

"I left Spurs because I wanted to play League football and that's exactly what has happened."

Brown has played in all but nine of the U's League and cup outings this season. Injury forced him to miss the rest.

Meanwhile, injury-plagued former Ipswich Town star Williams, 38, has finally been given the bad news he has been fearing all season.

A specialist has advised the U's player-coach to end his playing career just four days after skipper Richard Wilkins was also told to hang up his boots.

Williams, who has been struggling to shrug off a knee injury, has not played since last April and was today coming to terms with the fact his playing days are over.

He said: "My first thoughts are obviously of disappointment because I kidded myself that I was going to go on forever.

"The specialist told me I could seriously damage my future health if I attempted to carry on playing so I've now got to make sure I'm going to be fit enough to concentrate on my coaching.

"My playing days have been very enjoyable and I realise I've been very lucky to have enjoyed the career I have had.

"It's a career that has been relatively injury free and it seems I have saved them all up for this big one."

Williams, who won 13 Welsh international caps, played a total of 674 League games for his four clubs, Bristol Rovers (141), Derby County (277), Ipswich (217) and the U's (39).

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.