FORMER Colchester United defender Lewis Kinsella has announced his retirement from playing.

The 29-year-old, who made 29 league and cup appearances for the U's between 2016 and 2018, has decided to hang up his boots due to a persistent knee problem.

Writing on social media, he said: 'Mixed emotions due to my constant issues with my knee and trying to recover the best I can and trying to do everything to be able to train and play I’m stepping away from playing the game.

"I’m excited about the next steps and looking forward for what’s to come'.

 

Kinsella was a regular for John McGreal’s Colchester side, in the opening weeks of the 2016-17 season.

But a serious ankle injury ruled him out of action for several months and despite returning in the final weeks of the campaign, he found regular first team football hard to come by.

A loan spell in the National League with Aldershot followed, before he joined them permanently in 2018.

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In September 2020, England star Jack Grealish donated £2,000 towards a fund to help Kinsella recover from a serious knee injury.

Kinsella ruptured his medial collateral ligament playing for Aldershot and Grealish made a contribution, with the pair having played together at various academy age group levels, at Aston Villa.

After making nearly 150 appearances for the club, Kinsella left Aldershot after a four-year spell at the Hampshire club in 2022 and went on to have spells at Wealdstone, Maidenhead United and Hayes and Yeading United.