Wrexham striker Eifion Williams has retired from professional football after an injury-hit season.
Striker leaves football to return to North East
Experienced Wrexham striker Eifion Williams has retired from professional football after an injury-hit season.
The 32-year-old has been suffering with a hamstring injury since scoring the Dragons' winning goal at Bury in early December.
He has since played a few reserve-team games for the bottom-of-the-league club but still feels the injury is not right and has decided to now return to the North East for family reasons.
Williams told the club's
official website: "I have picked up one or two injuries this season and things haven't quite gone to plan.
"It is though, one of those decisions where I have put the family first and the travelling has not helped.
"The injury has taken longer to heal than I thought, although it will come right. But with travelling three hours a day from Anglesey it's not helping.
Separate ways
"I have had a chat with Brian Little and we agreed it was best for both parties that we go our separate ways."
He added: "I won't be returning to League football, indeed, I'm looking to get a job outside of the game and by returning to the North East I feel I know more people up there and have a better chance of finding work.
"My family said they liked Hartlepool, having lived there for five years, so it is one of those decisions, where the kids are happy in school and it's right for them.
"I'm 33 this year and it just didn't feel right sitting here, picking up my money and not contributing to the team.
"I did say that to the manager and would much prefer that we could come to an agreement. I would much rather be like that and the club has seen my point of view.
Pull clear
"I obviously hope that the club can push on and we can pull clear."
Williams' decision to retire brings to an end a career which began in 1995 with Caernarfon Town.
The Welshman scored 63 goals in 75 appearances for the club before going full-time with Barry Town, whom he played for between 1997-99, scoring 68 goals in 60 appearances.
The striker then earned a £70,000 move to Torquay United, making 107 appearances and scoring 24 times from 1999-2002.
He then moved onto Hartlepool United, where he spent five seasons, making 208 appearances - including a play-off final appearance at the Millennium Stadium - and scoring 50 goals.
He added just one more goal to his tally after joining the Dragons in the summer, making 16 appearances.
