A STAFF football match between two teams of school teachers ended in bloodshed after one of the players bit through an opponent's nose, a court heard.

Steven Langley said his nose was left bleeding and badly deformed after he was attacked by Calvin Roger during the 11-a-side friendly match on September 15 last year.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how Mr Roger, 31, was trying to block Mr Langley's quickly taken free kick.

After the pair confronted each other, Mr Roger bit Mr Langley's nose, leaving a gaping wound.

Mr Langley, a teacher at West Gate School, Newcastle, said: "Our faces were inches apart and nothing was said by either of us, then he bit through the septum of my nose."

After a scuffle in which the pair admit throwing punches, Mr Langley was taken to hospital where he received seven stitches to the wound.

The court heard how after the attack there was a visible bite mark to Mr Langley's nose, and Mr Roger was left with a black eye.

Mr Roger, deputy headteacher of geography at Heaton Manor School, Newcastle, said: "I panicked and I obviously caught his nose with my teeth. It is not acceptable to bite people and I honestly do not know why I bit him."

Mr Roger, of Cochrane Park Avenue, Cochrane Park, Newcastle, denies assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The trial continues.