A FORMER Middlesbrough Football Club hopeful who stabbed a teenager after downing a cocktail of drink and drugs was jailed for four years yesterday.

Simon Vallily, 20, had taken cocaine and ecstasy after drinking vodka when he plunged a 6in kitchen knife into John Morris, 19, on a street in North Ormesby, Teesside.

Vallily was beaten off by Morris's girlfriend and his sister, who had been walking home with him at 3.45am in Upleatham Street.

Vallily approached him and asked if he was looking for him, and when Morris said no, the two had shaken hands.

Sam Faulks, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court: "Vallily reached behind his back and from his trouser waistband pulled out a kitchen knife with a 6in blade and he brought it down on to Morris's shoulder.

"Then he delivered a further blow into his back. Morris fell to the ground and Vallily started to punch him on the head two or three times."

Mr Morris suffered a left shoulder wound, which was deep and into the muscle, and he had skin-deep cuts to the right side of his chest.

Adrian Dent, in mitigation, said that Vallily had no recollection of the incident, and he wanted to apologise to his victim, the police and the court.

He had been involved in an earlier altercation and he had been warned by a group of girls that a "psycho" would come and get him.

Vallily had been signed up by Middlesbrough and was a promising boxer, but the club released him and his boxing career did not take off.

Vallily, of Hershall Drive, Town Farm, Middlesbrough, was sentenced to four years in a young offenders' institution after he pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm on November 19 last year.