Rovers promotion-winner Paul Caddis has announced his retirement from football at the age of 34.

Caddis was part of Rovers 2017/18 League One promotion campaign but has called time on his career to move into coaching.

The right back played 20 times as Rovers won immediate promotion back to the Championship having been snapped up on a free transfer following a spell on trial in the summer of 2017.

He left in November 2018, after only one appearance in the early weeks of the following campaign, and having been without a club since leaving Swindon Town in 2021, Caddis announced his retirement in a post on social media.

His playing career spanned 15 years, just shy of 400 club appearances, and one cap for Scotland.

He wrote: "As any young boy my dream was to be a professional footballer and to say I done that from the age of 16 to 33 makes me forever grateful. At the end of season 20/21 with Swindon Town I decided to take some time out and found myself falling into coaching at Fleetwood Town with the intention of getting back to playing football.

"I'm an all eggs in one basket guy. I can't do things by half and I have ended up devoting all my time to coaching opposed to playing these days.

"I have now accepted that my time in full time football has come to an end and I am retiring playing professionally to concentrate on the coaching side of football. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who helped me along the way.”

Caddis won a league title with Celtic, two League Two titles with Swindon Town, as well as promotion with Rovers.

He added: "Getting promoted and being part of one of the best group of lads at Blackburn Rovers and of course playing in front of that loyal support at Bradford City before again returning to a club I have huge respect and fondness for in Swindon Town to help win another league title and be the first players in such a prestigious and loved football club in history to have won two league titles is something I don't take for granted."

Caddis’ attentions will now turn to coaching, with the 34-year-old looking forward to the next chapter in his career.

“Finally and most importantly thank you to my family for supporting me and being by my side along the way,” he said.

“I am now looking forward to continuing my coaching journey and like I did with all my football clubs I will be giving 100 per cent of effort 100 per cent of the time in everything I do moving forwards.”

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