He's hung up his boots, but what's next for local football legend Sean Ray?

After playing football for pretty much his whole life, Sean Ray is yet to decide what to do next.
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The local footballing legend hung up his boots due to injury aged 38 last week and is now pondering what to do next.

Hastings footballing legend hangs up his boots due to ongoing knee injury

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Ray, known to many by his nickname ‘Razor’, made more than 350 appearances for Hastings United across three spells and finished his career with Hollington United.

Sean Ray scores for Hastings UnitedSean Ray scores for Hastings United
Sean Ray scores for Hastings United

The 38-year-old, was part of the Hastings team who reached the third round of the FA Cup in 2013 and also played for Rye United, St Leonards, Ashford United, Eastbourne Town, and Kingstonian He has hung up his boots due to an ongoing knee problem.

And Ray is gutted to stop playing. He said: “I am gutted to be honest. I probably should have done it three or fours ago but being stubborn and not wanting to.

“We have had a good physio looking after me in Jules Lovell and plenty of tablets, I have managed to keep going.

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“Now it’s time to go because I am really struggling. It’s a shame I have to go because of injury. When you have done it all your life you don’t really want to come away from it. It’s difficult because I don’t know anything else, especially what to do on a Saturday now.”

But what next for Razor? “I still coach at the academy and now I have a little bit of time to decide what to do. I want to get back into it,” he said. “I don’t want to become a manager again but I definitely want to be around it.

“If I look at Hastings for example now it’s a full time job and I couldn’t commit the time to it.

“But I would certainly like to be around in some capacity somewhere. Whether that’s helping Pricey [Scott Price] up at Hollington now and then look for something high up in the future. But I have time.”

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And is Ray happy with what he has achieved in football? He said: “You always want to achieve more but I have enjoyed it and met good people and made friends for life through football.

"I have been lucky enough, with Pricey for example, who I knew before I even started playing football because I grew up with him. He’s still my best mate now and was my best man at my wedding. That’s been about 13 when I first met him on the estate we grew up on.”

More from Sean Ray next week