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Footy tackle could ruin the Robins

25/ 6/2008

ASHTON United are fighting back after a footballer, whose career was ended by a tackle that shattered his shin, launched a £100,000 legal case against them.

Altrincham striker Marcus Hallows, 33, suffered an open fracture of his shin in the tackle by defender Danny White.

He had only been on the pitch a couple of minutes after being brought on as a second-half substitute in the non-league match when he was tackled. His club’s physiotherapist said it was the worst injury he had seen.

He almost died when his heart stopped after he was taken to hospital. He had to undergo two operations at Wythenshawe Hospital. Now he is bringing a lawsuit for loss of earnings jointly against Mr White and The Robins.

Ashton United say they are dismayed at the action and believe there is no case to answer. The club could be ruined if the hearing goes against them. Mr Hallows is claiming loss of earnings based on a career in semi-professional football until the age of 35. It will go to trial early next year.

Ashton United chairman Dave Aspinall said: "We simply don’t agree with what is being said, that it was a malicious tackle. The person best placed to comment was the referee. There was no booking and neither the ref nor the linesman took any action at the time. In our view it was a collision and it was very unfortunate.

"Danny White is a real gentleman and not surprisingly most upset about what has happened. He’s a hard player, but an honest one and we’re backing him all the way. This was just a tackle that went bad. It happens sometimes, but there was nothing deliberate about it. We’ll just have to see what the court makes of it now."

A preliminary hearing at Manchester Civil Justice Centre heard how Marcus’s injuries had been so severe that he could not continue playing – he has since started a new career as an Elvis impersonator.  There was no video footage of the incident, but witness and photographic evidence will be given to the court.

Mr Hallows’ solicitor Gareth Williams said the key question to be asked was whether there had been a significant risk of causing injury when the tackle was made.

Roger Reade, chief executive of Manchester Football Association, said: "There have been a number of cases involving professional players, but at this level it probably doesn’t happen very often."