Former Chorley striker to sue over tackle

7:00am Friday 27th June 2008

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A FORMER Chorley striker is suing a fellow player who he claims ended his career with a leg-breaking tackle.

Marcus Hallows was playing for Altrincham FC in March 2005 when he suffered an open fracture of his shin in a challenge with Ashton United defender, Danny White.

Mr Hallows joined Altrincham from Chorley initally on a three-month loan in November 2003, which was then made permanent in February 2004.

He has now brought a £100,000 lawsuit for loss of earnings against Mr White and Ashton United.

The 33-year-old said: "I can't say much about it but it's been quite a lengthy process. I started proceedings soon after the incident."

A preliminary hearing at Manchester Civil Justice Centre heard his injuries were so bad that he could not continue his football career.

Mr Hallows' solicitor, Gareth Williams, said the court would need to decide whether there had been a significant risk of causing injury when the tackle was made.

The club's physiotherapist said it was the worst injury he had seen and X-rays revealed both the tibia and fibula bones in his right leg had been fractured.

If the case is found against Mr White, the future of Ashton United will be in doubt.

Ashton United chairman, Dave Aspinall, does not believe the tackle was malicious.

He said: "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. 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."

Mr Hallows now works for Bolton flooring company, JC Wilkins Limited, and is an Elvis impersonator in his spare time.

The case is expected to start in February next year.