SHANE Moore has called time on his Swindon Wildcats career after confirming he will not play for the club in the English Premier League next season.

Moore started his career with Swindon in 2002 and racked up more than 500 appearances for the club in three spells at the Link Centre.

The 28-year-old, who also made 17 appearances for Basingstoke Bison in the Elite Ice Hockey League between 2004 and 2006, says he has not yet decided whether to hang up his skates altogether but insisted he will not be joining another outfit in the second tier.

“I still love the sport but the commitment side of things has taken its toll over the last couple of years,” said Moore.

“I’d just like to step away from the EPL and maybe even play some lower league hockey or retire completely.

“If I was to play EPL ice hockey, it would be with Swindon. The club is a big part of me and they have done fantastic things over the last couple of years and I’d love to be a part of it.

“On a personal level, I’d just like to step away from the sport a little bit and potentially play lower level stuff, where there’s less commitment.

“For now, though, it’s a case of getting back to normal life and enjoying it.”

Moore revealed he has been weighing up the decision for some time and had been asked to remain at the Link Centre in another capacity after breaking the news to new Cats head coach Stevie Lyle.

“I’ve thought about it for a while due to injuries I’ve had over the years but over the summer, it’s really sunk in that I need to make a decision about what I want to do and after speaking to Stevie, that decision is to step away from EPL hockey,” said Moore.

“We had some discussions over playing and other positions that he wanted me to do to stay with the club, even when we said I wouldn’t actually be playing.

“It was really nice to be wanted in that way but it was a case that if I was going to step away, I needed to step away full-time because otherwise, it’s very easy to get pulled back into it.”