Lee Tomlin: Doncaster Rovers confirm retirement of ex-Bournemouth, Cardiff City and Middlesbrough playmaker

The former Bournemouth, Cardiff City and Middlesbrough playmaker, who joined the club this summer following a successful trial, was absent from Rovers’ last two games.

Manager Gary McSheffrey and his assistant Steve Eyre told the press Tomlin had been given time off following a course of injections in his toe and hip and the birth of his child.

Tomlin, whose one-year contract has been cancelled by mutual consent, said: “In the last month, just waking up and taking the amount of painkillers I’ve had to take has got too much.

"I want to play football for as long as I possibly can but it’s just too much on my body every day and it’s grinding me down.”

Tomlin made ten appearances for Doncaster Rovers, nine of them as starts.

After being sent off in humiliating circumstances on his debut away to Bradford City on the season’s opening day, he quickly established himself as a key player and lit up matches with his attacking flair and intelligence on the pitch.

His first and ultimately sole goal for the club came from the penalty spot in a 3-1 defeat to Mansfield Town last month.

Tomlin’s final appearance came off the bench in the 4-1 win over Crawley Town after he was dropped from the starting line-up following a dip of form that coincided with a run of three straight defeats for the team.

Tomlin said: “You just have to be honest with yourself. I have days when I can’t pick my daughter up for more than two minutes because of my hip or my back. It’s not a way of living and not a way I want to live.

“If it was with any other club in the summer other than Doncaster, I’d have probably just called it a day then. There was a bond that I felt at the club and it was the reason I did want to sign. It meant a lot to me.

“I’m going to miss it.”

Tomlin previously told The Free Press he was ready to walk away from professional football before Gary McSheffrey came calling with an offer to revive his career at Doncaster Rovers.

Rovers chief McSheffrey had hoped Tomlin would play a key role in helping the club win promotion back to League One at the first attempt.

But now his creative options have taken a major hit.

McSheffrey said: “Lee told me he felt it was time for him to call it a day and hang his boots up because he is constantly playing through pain and has been for the last few years.

“He wants to live a lifestyle after football where he can do stuff with his family and his kids, and just live a normal lifestyle.

“The enjoyment here was getting him through it but the realisation of it is that he feels he is in too much pain.”

McSheffrey continued: “Although it’s really disappointing, we have to respect him as a man, a person, a dad, and listen to what he wants. His body is telling him that needs to retire.

“We’ve accepted that and we’ll support him in whatever he needs. We wish him all the best for his future.”