Port Vale goalkeeper Mark Goodlad has been forced into retirement after being warned he faced life in a wheelchair if he continued playing.Goodlad ruptured an Achilles at Bristol City in December 2006 and has not played since.

He was forced to undergo surgery and, after spending time in a wheelchair, began to slowly regain his fitness.

However, the 28-year-old was recently told he would require further surgery but that it came at the risk of him being forced into a wheelchair permanently.

Goodlad said: "It has been a very difficult decision to make. I have played football ever since I left school and that's all I've ever known.

"But I have spoken to people close to me, my family, and ultimately I have had to make a hard decision but I think it's for the best."

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