A PAIR of teenage Halesowen footballers attacked an opposition player as their team were being thrashed by a side from

Kingswinford.

The pair, both now aged 19, had lined up for Perrywoods United in a Sunday League clash with Kewford Eagles at the

Hadley Stadium in Smethwick.

The Perrywoods side were being beaten 5-2 with just minutes of the game remaining when the two players targeted 17-year-old Lewis Owen.

Charles Hamer prosecuting told Wolverhampton Crown Court that Mr Owen had two teeth knocked out in the incident while a third was dislodged and he was now facing the prospect of major surgery to repair the damage.

Recorder Edward Coke told Jahan Chohan and Morgan McKensie: "What you did represents the worst aspects of football. you are an utter disgrace to the game."

Chohan and McKensie had both maintained they had been over zealous as they acted in self-defence during the incident but

were both found guilty of violent disorder at the end of their trial.

The Recorder told them: "This was cheating by fouling which lead to group violence in front of a crowd of parents who had turned out to see their sons play football."

But he said he would not send the pair into immediate custody because it could ruin their lives when they were in employment

and had good prospects.

Chohan, of Greenhill Road, and McKensie, of St Kenelms Avenue, were both given nine months detention in a young offenders institute but suspended for 18 months.

They were further each ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work in the community and told they must pay £2,000 each in

compensation to Mr Owen for his injury.

Simon Phillips, defending Chohan, stressed he had not thrown the first punch in the incident and what followed had been

totally out of character and on the spur of the moment.

Charles Cronin, for McKensie, said there had been some confusion about what had sparked off the attack on Mr Owen

but it had not been premeditated.