Braintree Town assistant manager John White has officially hung up his boots after 20 years and more than 600 club appearances.
The centre-back, who turns 38 in July, represented Colchester United, Stevenage, Southend United, Wimborne Town and Braintree Town during an illustrious career. He made his debut in August 2004 for Colchester, going on to make 255 outings for the U’s, representing them in the Championship.
The Rochford-born centre-back made another 282 appearances for Southend United, winning promotion to League One in 2015 (pictured, Alamy) and standing by them during relegation from the EFL six years later. A brief loan move to Wimborne followed in March 2022 before signing for Braintree Town.
He was appointed assistant manager to Angelo Harrop on New Year’s Eve 2023, which curtailed his playing involvement for the season. White made 57 appearances for the Iron, the final one as a substitute in a 4-1 win over Welling United on November 14.
Town won promotion back to the National League earlier this month with a Promotion Final success over Worthing.
White (@jonnywhite25) tweeted:
“I have decided it is the right time to officially hang up my boots as I have moved into a new phase of my career.
“I’m looking forward to whatever comes next and will attack it with a smile on my face and the same fire I had week in, week out.”