Smeltz announces exit

FORMER Gold Coast United goal machine Shane Smeltz yesterday announced his retirement from competitive football.

Smeltz, 36, scored 92 goals in 190 A-League appearances for United, Perth Glory, Wellington Phoenix and Sydney FC.

He also played for the Brisbane Strikers and Adelaide United in the old National Soccer League, and scored 24 times in 58 appearances for New Zealand, including a goal at the 2010 World Cup against Italy.

In a decorated 18-year-professional career, Smeltz also plied his trade at clubs in England, Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia but made his name as an A-League marksman.