Liam Castle has announced that he is retiring from playing football. The Barwell keeper has been with the club for 13 seasons and is well respected across non-league. Liam was a youth player with Basingstoke Town and then signed for their first team. He then joined Hinckley United before being snapped up by Barwell. It is fair to say that he has become a firm fan favourite, often receiving good feedback from opposition fans, and has cemented himself as a Barwell legend.

Liam spoke to the club about his decision: “I am at a stage in life where I want to join my son Oscar on his journey through the game. Through the 13 seasons I have played for Barwell, I have met so many friends and characters along the way. The club have moved forward over the years and I’ve been involved with many successful campaigns. There are many highlights and memories that can be spoken about for years to come.”

Liam wanted to thank many of the people who have supported him during his time at Barwell: “I want to thank Dave and Julie Laing for their ongoing support towards me and the club, Colin Burton for backing my corner through thick and thin, Viv and Sue Coleman for the work they have also put into the club, Terry Fisher for his support, and to Shirley Brown for her hard work and efforts every year. I also want to thank all the supporters, who have grown in numbers over the years, and followed the club all over the country proudly wearing the canary yellow.

Liam has played under five managers in his time with the Canaries and each have helped him out with his career: “I want to thank all the managers who have let me wear the number 1 shirt over the years. I want to thank Bob Steele for signing me, Ian Blythe for understanding my situation and allowing me to play through some difficult times and Marcus Law for bringing a goalkeeper coach into my game and making me aware of the position I was playing and for bringing the club through promotion. More recently I want to thank Jimmy Ginnelly for being hard on me at times - those in the changing room know what I mean. I am also grateful to Guy Hadland who is there now and I wish him all the best and I believe he has a big future in non league management.”

Liam has played with many people over the years of his career: “And finally a big thanks to every player I have played with over the 13 years I have been at Barwell because without them I would not be where I am today, the success we have had in the period of time has been phenomenal for the club.”

Everybody at the club wishes Liam all the best for the future and thanks him for his efforts at the club. It is a remarkable achievement to be at one club for so long.