Former Ebbsfleet, Margate and Tonbridge player Tom Phipp has hung up his boots at the age of 24.

Phipp, who spent three-and-a-half seasons with Fleet, is starting a new career in marketing after completing a degree with first-class honours.

He hasn’t closed the door on football permanently but said: "My main priority is to get myself into work.

"I want to work in central London and I need to get that sorted before I can even think about playing.

"I’ve got a potential 30 or 40-year career ahead of me whereas I’ve got maybe another six, seven or eight years in football.

"I’m growing up. I’m beginning to get other priorities in my life. I like to see myself as ‘only 24’ but I’m not a spring chicken any more, I’m not the youngster I used to be.

"I’ve got a few interviews coming up so I’d like to think as soon as possible I’ll know what’s going on with my future.

"I’ve had a few clubs contact me about next year but I’ve said the same thing to everyone, that I don’t know what I’m doing yet."

Phipp burst onto the scene at Fleet as a 17-year-old, catching the eye in Conference South and linking up especially well with Michael West.

West moved on to Crewe in 2012 but although Phipp was kept on by Steve Brown following Fleet’s takeover the next year, his days at Stonebridge Road were numbered.

He said: "If something had happened a few years ago, if things progressed quickly, that would obviously be a massive focus of what I’d be doing now but, for whatever reason, I felt I got stitched up when I came towards the end of my career at Ebbsfleet.

"In my final season, before I got sold to Margate, I felt like I didn’t get respected as a player. I don’t think I started a league game that year.

"I wouldn’t say that’s me being bitter about the whole thing because I look back and think it probably worked out for the best. I didn’t have much direction when I was younger.

"To establish myself (at Fleet) and then get the setback, that was eye-opening as to the industry of football. It gave me the drive I needed to pursue something outside of it.

"Having invested time and money into my degree, that has to be a priority for me now.

"I’m not saying football is ever a secondary thing but for me to focus on a career for myself and be selfish about that, I’ll see what football can bring after that.

"I’m sure, once I’m in work and settled, if I am able to play, I’ll probably begin to play some of the better football of my career because I’ll have no pressure on myself to have to progress."

Phipp, who was loaned to Maidstone before leaving Ebbsfleet for good, played most recently for Tonbridge Angels, who released him at the end of last season.

"I enjoyed it there," he said. "The fans are good, the board are good and we had a good group of lads for a couple of years.

"It was a little bit unfortunate with my injury because I felt I was playing well at the time. It’s not a nice thing to happen at any time but not when you see yourself doing quite well. It took me a little while to get back from that.

"I probably rushed back too quickly and I wasn’t at the stage I should have been at when I did come back so it took me a while to get back into it.

"I felt like I was fighting, the fact I rushed back and I didn’t have much confidence.

"If I can get back into it, it’ll be quite nice to have a fresh start, a new challenge and I can look at kicking on from there."