GILLINGHAM midfielder Ty Gooden has been forced into early retirement after failing to fully recover from an ankle injury despite going under the surgeon's knife.

The 31-year-old former Arsenal trainee missed all of last season after picking up the injury in the final game of the 2001-02 campaign against Manchester City.

Gooden will be remembered fondly by Gills fans for the crucial role he played in bringing Nationwide Division 1 football to Priestfield Stadium.

But perhaps his finest moment ironically came against the club where he started his career, a thunderbolt of a shot at Highbury in the FA Cup fifth round in February 2002 to level the game at 2-2.

Gooden said: “When you look back maybe things happen for a reason. Arsenal was the place it all began for me. I used to get a lift in with Ray Parlour and we swapped shirts at the end. I was there since I left school and perhaps that goal was my parting shot.”

Gooden, who made 69 appearances for Gillingham, added: “I would like to thank all the supporters who have been great to me over the past three and a half years.

“I still don’t know exactly what to do. I feel generally fit and a few non-league clubs have been in touch, but I might become a personal trainer as I have a background in sport and am interested in nutrition.”