Albion fullback Jason Dodd has been forced to retire from professional football due to injury.

The 35-year-old has quit the Seagulls after suffering a recurrence of the back problem that restricted him to seven appearances last season.

Dodd was invited back for pre-season training by manager Mark McGhee to prove his fitness after he was not offered a new contract.

Having joined on a free transfer last summer after 17 seasons with Southampton, he now poised to sign for Conference south Eastleigh as long as he can recover from the persistent injury.

Dodd said: "I came back for a week of training but my back went again and I got fed up.

"It has been doing my head in so I decided to tell the manager that I was calling it a day. It was not a difficult decision to make because it has been brewing for months.

"I'm sick of being on the treatment table and I didn't want to mess the club around because they have been fantastic to me.

"The disappointing thing is that I was looking quite good before the back went.

"Training two times a day was killing me and I need to take it easy for a while. I was going to do nothing but then I was asked to go to Eastleigh and, having worked hard all summer, I decided to give it a crack.

"They only train two nights a week and play on Saturday so it is a lot less pressure on your body.

"I haven't signed for them yet, I'm in the process of doing it but I have to make sure my back is okay first."

Dodd believes his former team- mates can bounce straight back into the Championship following their relegation to League One.

He said: "Brighton have a brilliant bunch of lads and they are all working really hard.

"I think with the experience of playing in the Championship they can do well. I would expect them to reach the play-offs at the very minimum."