Eddie Oshodi: Forest Green defender quits football at 23

Eddie Oshodi has been playing in the Conference for the last four years with Forest Green

Forest Green Rovers defender Eddie Oshodi has quit professional football at the age of 23.

Oshodi came up through the youth ranks at Watford, but spent the last four years at the New Lawn, making 127 first-team appearances.

He had his contract cancelled by mutual consent on Monday to allow him to seek a career away from the game.

"Football in the lower leagues isn't going to help me work in the future," he told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

"I don't want to be thought of as 'Eddie Oshodi - all he's known for is playing football'.

"I love to read and write and I love many things in life. I just think I need to focus on the other things I love to do."

London-born Oshodi started at Watford as a teenager and made one first-team appearance before being released in 2011.

He went on to sign for Conference outfit Forest Green, who were managed at the time by former Hornets youth coach David Hockaday, and has been a regular first-team member ever since.

Oshodi had a trial at Championship side Brentford last year, but said the realisation he would not make it to the top flight influenced his decision to quit.

"I have to look at my life in the long term," he said. "Even though I loved playing and training with Forest Green I did have big dreams and wanted to gradually make the step up to the promised land of playing in the Premier League.

"But through circumstances, I've had to come away from it and look from the outside in and be true to myself.

"I don't have any regrets, but luck hasn't been on my side. I want to do something different with my life and add another string to my bow."