WATCH: Sussex football legend Gary Charman gets a big farewell from Horsham FC and fans

Charman had pencilled in the Hornets' Isthmian premier match against Brightlingsea as his farewell to his playing days and it was quite an occasion. He led the team out to rapturous applause - which was repeated when he was substituted in the second half.

The stalwart had one last chance to lap up the plaudits, and thank the fans for their support, at the end of the game. See the highlights of Charman's day in the video here. It was just the sort of send-off Horsham boss Dom Di Paola had wanted for the club legend.

He was even spotting a Hornets-colours green and yellow face mask - a precaution he has had to take since a nasty facial injury several years ago.

Unfortunately the visitors didn't read the script and won the match 3-2 - after Rob O'Toole and Charlie Hester-Cook had given the Hornets a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes.

Charman - who recently reflected on 25 years in football - came up through the Hornets’ youth ranks and made his senior debut back in 1998 and retires as the club's all-time appearance record holder of well over 600 games.

A superb header of the ball, his fearless nature has seen him suffer his fair share of injuries, including a fractured cheekbone in 2009 that put him out of the game for 10 months.

He had spells with Eastbourne Borough, t Bognor Regis Town, Walton & Hersham and Lewes in between his four Horsham spells and many in Sussex football have wished him well for his retirement

Di Paola pays tribute to Charman.