TYRONNE Bowers will not be hanging up his boots after Wembley – he’ll be displaying them in a glass box!

The tigerish midfielder, affectionately known as Tyzer, will join long-serving left-back Marc Diaper and, in all probability, centre-back Lee Bright in making his last ever appearance for Sholing in Saturday’s FA Vase final against West Auckland Town.

“I shan’t be cleaning my boots after the game. I’ve ordered a nice glass box to put them in just as they are,” smiled the 35-year-old.”

Bowers intends framing his No 6 shirt too and joked that he would probably end up displaying them in the front room of the house that he, wife Lindsay and 12-year-old daughter Macey share in Merryoak, right next door to the home he grew up in where his dad, George, still lives. At just 5ft 5in, Bowers may well be the smallest man on the pitch on Saturday. But what he lacks in height, the fiery red-head more than makes up for in gritty determination.

His competitive spirit will be a huge loss to Sholing next season, but Bowers wants to make up his own mind about retiring rather than have it made up for him.

“I’ve been at Sholing for eight years and it’s been really good, winning a couple of things here and there and playing a couple of times at St Mary’s,” he reflected.

“I could possibly have played higher again, but they’re such a good bunch of lads here and I’ll still be around to watch them when I can.

“I want to give up on my own terms rather than have the decision taken out of my hands by getting injured, like (ex-teammate) Paul Sales did at Gosport. There’s nothing worse.

“I’d rather bow out at Wembley than on a cold, rainy night at Horndean.”

More from Tyronne Bowers in tomorrow’s Daily Echo.