After the title win in 1974, he tried to rest during the summer to sort out a knee problem, but an op was required and his rehabilitation involved serious physiotherapy and daily trips to St James' Hospital. By February 1975 he had reached a plateau and the medics gave him the go-ahead to resume light training. He played in a friendly match and also turned out in a handful of reserve games, but during the Central League match at Anfield, the end came. The knee was giving him considerable pain no matter what he did, and it was back to the doctors. This time there was to be no recovery, and he was finally forced to throw in the towel at the start of the 1975-76 season at the tender age of 30. He went back to his native Worksop to do the traditional footballer thing of running a pub.