Former Donegal star Kevin Cassidy has brought the curtain down on his playing career at the age of 34.

The two-time All Star announced his retirement after his club Gaoth Dobhair were knocked out of the Donegal SFC by holders Naomh Conaill on Saturday night. Despite being one of Donegal's greatest players, Cassidy will be remembered for his comments in the 2011 book 'This is Our Year' which led to him being sensationally axed from then manager Jim McGuinness' squad. It meant he missed out on winning an All-Ireland medal the following year.

A brilliant wing back, Cassidy won Ulster SFC and Allianz League honours in 2011 and 2007 respectively. With his club, who he represented for 18 years and managed in 2014, he claimed Donegal SFC medals in 2002 and 2006.

In paying tribute to Cassidy in the Irish News, Donegal's 1992 All-Ireland winning manager Brian McEniff said: "He lived on the edge and he played on the edge and that was one of the things that made him truly great and he was always the very best of company and played from the heart.

"Kevin was a warrior, a leader, a superb athlete and a great reader of the game and that point he scored against Kildare (in the 2011 All-Ireland quarter-final) was one of the greatest ever.

"As a player, he was very committed, was a passionate Goath Dobhair man and really loved pulled on the Donegal jersey."

Meanwhile, Declan Bogue, the journalist who penned 'This Is Our Year', has reopened old wounds by claiming on twitter than Cassidy was "hounded out" of inter-county football for "having a mind of his own".

 

Men like Kevin Cassidy @KCASS7 are hounded out of county Gaelic football nowadays for having a mind of their own. And we are worse off.

- Declan Bogue (@DeclanBogue) September 5, 2016

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