Chelsea captain Gary Cahill spoke of his clash with Ryan Mason 12 months ago in last night's match programme notes for victory over FA Cup opponents Hull City.

Mason retired this week having failed to fully recover from the head injury he sustained in an accidental clash of heads with Cahill when the same teams met at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League in January 2017.

Cahill wrote: "We come into a fifth round FA Cup tie against Hull on the back of a good result against West Brom on Monday, but I don't want to speak too much about the game in my notes tonight because there is something more important on my mind as I write this.

"I was devastated to hear that Ryan Mason has retired from professional football this week, I can't even imagine what he's feeling and going through, having to retire at such a young age, and when I heard the news it was heartbreaking.

"Ryan is a lovely guy. I've met him and trained alongside him with England, and it's a horrible situation.

"I've got a son and a beautiful fiancee around me, so these are the sort of things that mean more to you than football when things are put into perspective.

"Challenging for the ball in the air is such a common thing and you never expect consequences like this to come from it. That is when football goes totally out of your thoughts and it becomes about making the best decision for your health.

"I want to spend my best wishes to Ryan and his family. The most important thing in life is your health, and I am sure he will now go on to be successful in whatever he chooses to do next."