By Matt Majendie BBC Sport in Melbourne

Foster is competing at a record sixth Commonwealth Games

Mark Foster believes England's swimmers will not match their 2002 Commonwealth Games medals haul when the 2006 Games start in Melbourne on Thursday.

Four years ago the team won 32 medals but Foster, who is retiring next month, says the 2006 set-up is far weaker.

"We're not the team we were four years ago and we'll struggle to even make double figures in terms of medals this time around," he told BBC Sport.

"I think people will find we've made a step back."

He added: "Frankly, it doesn't matter what we did four years ago, it matters what we do now."

I'm confident of coming away with two medals, the colour doesn't matter Mark Foster

Foster won bronze in Manchester in both the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle and will again compete in both events.

But he says that his sixth Commonwealth Games appearance - a new event record - will be his last.

Next month's World Short Course championships in Shanghai will be the 35-year-old's farewell appearance.

He said the decision was down to his age, rather than his dispute with British swimming's performance director Bill Sweetenham.

"I am not giving up now because of him - I am retiring on my own terms and because I think it is the right time for me to be retiring," he said.

"Now someone has got to come out and fill my boots.

"In the last 20 years no-one has come near me and it would be nice if someone else could come out and take it on."

I don't think there are too many people in my events in better shape, so fingers crossed Mark Foster

Foster, who trained in Los Angeles for six weeks before joining the rest of the England team in Melbourne, has not had the perfect build-up.

He put his back out while in the United States and revealed he came close to bowing out.

"When I first did it I couldn't move," he said. "I was left on the floor and couldn't get up.

"It took me ten minutes to get off the floor and I thought 'God, this is it'. I was certain I was going to miss the Games."

The injury only stopped Foster from two full days of training but meant he could not even dive into a pool for a month.

BBC Sport Academy: Take Mark Foster's sprint challenge

Despite the setback he insisted he would arrive at the pool "in the shape of his life".

"I don't think there are too many people in my events in better shape, so fingers crossed for the medals."