FORMER Witney captain Jez Hicks admits he will miss playing for his hometown club, but says it is the right time to hang up his boots.

The 34-year-old, who made his first-team debut at the age of 19, has called time on a 15-year career after struggling with a shoulder injury for the last two seasons.

Hicks captained Witney twice, between 2005-09 and 2011-15, and despite his sadness at not preparing for a 16th season, he feels quitting is the smartest decision.

“It is definitely the right thing to do,” said Hicks, who lists reaching the Oxfordshire Cup final in 2006 and promotion to South West 1 East in 2010 as his highlights.

“I have had a lot of injuries now and I can’t keep going in the same way.

“I will miss playing an awful lot.

“I found it very hard standing on the touchline last season.”

Hicks will now coach the forwards at the west Oxfordshire club, under the leadership of Tug Wilson and assistant Richie Craig.

Pre-season training began on July 14 ahead of Witney’s South West 1 East opener at Leighton Buzzard on September 5.

And former No 8 Hicks says he is still finding his feet as a coach.

He said: “It is a different involvement, coaching to playing.

“You don’t have the same relationship with the team – I will miss that a lot.

“It is going to take a little while to get used to.

“I am used to telling everyone what to do as a player and captain, but it is a bit different from a coach’s angle.”

Hicks will undergo surgery on a torn tendon in his right shoulder next month, but revealed the writing had been on the wall since January.

After struggling with a shoulder injury throughout the 2013- 14 season, Hicks decided to continue playing and begin a 15th season with the club.

However, he was forced to sit out the second half of the last campaign with the same injury problem.

He said: “It would feel fine for long periods, but impacts would aggravate it and it would be painful for weeks.

“I would have to have long periods off playing.

“I was thinking about stopping the season before last, but pre-season went well and I thought I would give it a go.

“But by Christmas the injury had reoccurred – I knew then that was it.”