By Daniel Wood
Former Huddersfield Town defender Tareiq Holmes-Dennis has retired from playing professional football at 24 years old due to a long-term knee injury.
The left-back was part of the Terriers promotion-winning side in 2016-17 that secured them a place in the Premier League.
He joined Town from Charlton Athletic at the start of the 2016-17 season.
Holmes-Dennis made 15 appearances for Town during the campaign and played in both the semi-final games against Sheffield Wednesday, as they secured their place in the playoff final.
The 24-year old accumulated over 100 total appearances during his career ranging from league Two to the Championship.
In the last two seasons, Tareiq has played sporadically for Bristol Rovers, however a knee injury that he suffered on his debut for Portsmouth while on loan from the Terriers was revealed to be more serious than originally thought.
The injury has forced him to end his footballing career early.
In a post to his followers on Instagram, he wrote: “Can’t believe I’m even writing this. I didn’t even wanna post anything and just crack on but I feel I owe it to the people that have helped me chase a dream that I was able to make a reality.
“After injuring my knee at Portsmouth over three years ago, which at the time I saw as a minor setback, I was ready to attack my rehab head on and never once did it cross my mind that it would actually affect my career.
“The dream never changes, but the people that have followed my career and know me personally would be aware that I’ve never recovered from that injury.
“Almost every day for the past three years, pain, swelling etc, but it’s never going to be public knowledge.
“Specialists told me to stop playing well over a year ago, but I didn’t care because I only had one vision and goal in mind. I didn’t believe someone could tell me to stop.
“Anyway, I count myself as one of the lucky ones. I managed to get to a level I can be proud of, played over 100 games from League Two to the Championship, gained promotion to the Premier League and met some of the best people and gained friends for life. Represented some great clubs in Charlton, Huddersfield, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Oxford.
“Most importantly though for me…the people that allowed me to reach any type of level and support me relentlessly from 5 years of age all the way though.
“My parents, grandparents, close friends and my agent Kev. Coaches such as Steve Avory, Jason Euell and the physios that tried their best to help me, Liam, Callum, Matt and Rayan. All played a huge part in my journey which I’ll be eternally grateful for.
“Time to see what life there is away from the ball and approach it with the same energy I had for the game.”