Cork City legend Dan Murray has decided to hang up his boots instead of returning for another season with the League of Ireland club.
The 33-year-old had two spells with the club as they claimed the Premier Division title (2005), the FAI Cup (2007) and the Setanta Sports Cup (2008), serving as captain and leading the team during those periods.
In a statement, Cork City revealed that Murray was taking a step back from the game as he hoped to spend more time with his young family, and that balancing everything with a full-time job had proved too great a challenge at this point in his career.
Speaking in the wake of the news, manager John Caulfield said "unfortunately, as much as we were trying to work around it for next year, Dan has acknowledged that it would be almost impossible for him to train to the levels we are at and he has decided to step back.
"I would like to wish him all the best because, in the two years I have been here, he was phenomenal for me. When I came in, he’d had a difficult season the season before, but he has been involved in every game. It’s with a heavy heart that we confirm he is leaving, because I was hoping that he might be able to stay on, but things have changed and he just can’t give the commitment that we are looking for going forward. On behalf of everyone at the club, I would like to wish him the very best of luck in the future and congratulate him for being such a fantastic player for this club."
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