Workington Reds captain Conor Tinnion has paid tribute to his best friend in football – retiring team-mate Dan Wordsworth.
The 33-year-old defender is to end his career after tomorrow’s NPL Premier Division game against Gainsborough and will have the honour of leading out the team.
Tinnion said: “I was gutted to hear that Dan is retiring but know, deep down, this is the right decision for him.
“Not many people are aware of the pain he has been playing with this season because he has managed to retain his high performance levels.
“But I think the time is right before he does any more damage to his body.
“Dan is going to be impossible to replace like-for-like, because, quite simply, I don’t think players like him exist anymore.
“As players and supporters of Workington AFC we have to be grateful for the many years of service he has given and hopefully we can give him the send-off he deserves on Saturday.
“He’s one of the best players I have ever played alongside and, more than anything, just an absolute winner.”
Wordsworth made his debut in August 2011 in Conference North and played four seasons before having a gap year when he toured and played in Australia before returning in 2016 and has been a loyal servant since then.
He has played 367 first team games (all but 37 in the starting line-up) and scored the 21st goal of his Reds career in the 2-1 win at Bradford a few weeks ago.
