Chepstow football manager savaged in match brawl (From Free Press Series)

Chepstow football manager savaged in match brawl

9:18am Tuesday 5th March 2013 in News By Melissa Jones

A GWENT football manager had his lip savaged as he intervened in a pitchside fracas.

Andrew Methuen, of Chepstow Athletic, was attempting to pull two players apart in Saturday’s game against Caldicot Town when he was set upon.

This was after a player from the home side, Caldicot Town, tried to prevent a Chepstow player from taking a quick throw-in by holding onto the ball after it rolled off the pitch.

Mr Methuen said as his team’s representative tried to retrieve the football from his opponent more players rushed over to get involved and he stepped in.

With little warning, he was grabbed around the neck from behind, dragged to the ground and was faced with the angry man who bit him.

Dad of four Mr Methuen, 45, said: “It was horrific. I was trying to get up but there were other players trying to pull this man off me.

He tried to bite my cheek but latched onto my bottom lip.

He was like an animal.”

Two players then appeared to be sent off by the referee, and almost immediately the final whistle was blown.

Mr Methuen, who played for his club and Bulwark until last year, was shocked, bleeding and in pain.

He said: “This type of thing never happened when I played. You used to get a punch thrown but never this level.

“I was told later by one of my own players that he had poked the guy in the eye to make him let go. If he hadn’t, he could have taken my lip off.”

Mr Methuen, who lives with wife Linzi and their children in Bulwark, went to the Royal Gwent Hospital, in Newport, where he had the injury glued, injections against tetanus and hepatitis and was prescribed antibiotics.

He has managed to return to his job as a postman, but the biting ordeal is not over.

He faces further tests, jabs and hospital attention in the coming weeks.

Secretary of East Gwent Association Football League Brian Reed said the incident will go to the governing body, the Gwent County Football Association, to be investigated.

Mr Methuen plans to make an official complaint to Gwent Police. A force spokeswoman said they have not received one yet but are aware of the incident.