A SUNDAY league footballer who broke the jaw of another player in an unprovoked attack on the pitch walked free from court yesterday.

James "Archie" Brown, 42, was told by magistrates he narrowly missed a jail sentence for the assault during a match at Darlington Railway Athletic Club in March.

Instead, he received 100 hours of community service, a 12-month community rehabilitation order and was ordered to pay £55 prosecution costs and £500 compensation to his victim Gary Williamson.

Mr Williamson, 20, a semi-professional player for Shildon FC, suffered a fractured jaw in three places, had to have metal plates inserted and was on liquidised food for six weeks after the attack.

Miriam Rasoul, prosecuting, told Darlington Magistrates' Court that Brown, a substitute for East End Workingmen's Club, had inflicted the injury with a single punch, during a match against Spraire RA.

From the bench, he saw a tussle developing between rival player Mr Williamson and one of his own team, Scott Raper.

The next moment, Mr Williamson "felt a massive blow to the left side of his jaw".

Brown, a supermarket worker, of Hewitson Road South, Darlington, pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm.

Stephen Andrews, mitigating, said the father-of-two, who committed a similar offence in 1993, had genuinely believed he was breaking up a fight, not realising it was "horseplay" between friends.

Mr Raper told police afterwards that Mr Williamson had clenched a fist and drawn it back as if he was about to hit him.

It was then, said Mr Andrews, that Brown stepped in. "He has quite simply misread the situation. He did not know that Gary Williamson and Stuart Raper were good friends. He was acting in defence of another."

Chairman of the magistrates' bench Hilda Wappet said a custodial sentence had been very much in mind. "We consider this a very, very serious offence."

But, she added, "we have taken into account the fact that this was a single blow and not premeditated".

Mr Williamson declined to comment last night but a member of the Spraire team - who asked not to be named - said the sentence was "an absolute disgrace".

Brown has been banned for a year by Durham Football Association.