STEWART Hadley has retired from football at just 29 after losing a battle with injury and fitness.

The Worcester City striker has agreed to tear up his contract after amicable talks with manager John Barton.

Hadley admitted that frustration at being unable to play to his full potential lay at the heart of the decision which he had been mulling over for a couple of weeks.

The ex-Kidderminster Harriers and Mansfield Town player made 45 appearances, scoring eight goals, during his two-year spell at St George's Lane but he played his best football during an initial two-month loan spell from Aggborough.

Hadley said it had been a difficult decision for him to make but ultimately had been reached by events on the pitch.

"It's mainly due to the fact that I'm not playing the way I should be playing," he said.

"Over the last 10 years I've always been a professional and trained every day and the fitness has been there for me to play how I wanted.

"Coming down to part-time football has been a bit of a shock and, especially with the injury problem, the fitness has just not been there.

"I'm performing at about 70 per cent of the level that I can and that's frustrating.

"It's not the way I want to play, the manager doesn't want me to play like that and I'm not doing myself any good.

"When that happens the enthusiasm goes a bit and it's been hard to get the fitness back."

"When he first came he was a tremendous acquisition," said Barton.

"During that two-month loan period he was probably the best striker in the division and he made it impossible for us not to sign him.

"We thought we'd stolen a march on the opposition with his signature but his Achilles problem flared up and it's been a struggle for him ever since."

Hadley had made eight appearances for City this season, all of them as a substitute, scoring one goal.