Deal Town announced on Monday 9 November that Joe Reeves has retired from playing after 245 appearances and has joined the first-team coaching staff.
The 31-year-old first joined the club on loan from Ramsgate and has spent a decade at The Charles Ground. The club said he felt a problem in his Achilles during the game against Bearsted and it never recovered. Further examinations showed damage to both Achilles tendons, leaving him facing a lengthy rehabilitation with no guarantee of a successful return.
Reeves discussed his options with the manager and fellow coach Hilly. "We had an honest chat and all came to the agreement that there was no point making it worse," he said. He added that, with the young players coming through, he was unlikely to play a great deal.
He will work alongside the manager, Hilly and Kieran, and continues to coach the club's Under 14s. "I've probably had more of a passion for coaching than playing for the last seven or eight years," Reeves said. "As soon as Kingy offered me a role, I snapped his hand off."
He also ruled out playing elsewhere. "It was either I play for Deal or I don't play," he said.
Reeves recalled crowds of 40 or 50 when he arrived, compared with nearly 2,000 for a league title celebration. Of the current squad's position in the Isthmian League South East, he said: "We know we're more than capable. We've just got to find that little bit of consistency again, which will come."