Oxford United winger Mitchell Cole has been forced to retire from the game due to a heart condition.

The club announced last night the former Stevenage player’s heart condition had deteriorated to a level which will put him in danger if he continued to play.

Cole, 25, has had a low-risk heart condition which was discovered at 17 while he was at West Ham, but was still able to play football Mitchell passed his medical when he joined the U’s in the summer from Stevenage.

However, in November he started feeling short of breath in training and matches, and was unable to run to full effect.

A series of medical tests showed a significant deterioration of his heart condition.

He has been advised by a leading cardiologist to stop playing competitive football for risk of a serious heart problem.