Fish Calls Time On Career

By Mark Heys
August 16 2005

Former Bolton defender Mark Fish has announced his retirement from football after a series of injuries over the past eighteen months.

The South African had recently agreed to join Ipswich Town on a months loan in a bid to sharpen up his match fitness but sadly he was to last just 45 minutes into his debut against Queens Park Rangers before suffering another setback.

Fish 31, first came to England in August 1997 when the Wanderers paid Lazio a then club record £2.5 million for his services. In his four seasons with the club he appeared in just over 100 games before moving onto Charlton midway through the 2000-2001 season.

He was a regular with the Addicks team until suffering a bizarre injury when at home whilst playing with his son last year. He was never able to regain full fitness after that and has now called it quits after a century of games with the South East London outfit.

In his career Fish won 62 caps for South Africa and also played for Lazio, Orlando Pirates and Jovo Cosmos in the 1990's.

"I can no longer play to the standards I have set myself and therefore I feel it is time to move on," he said earlier today