A FOOTBALLER accused of assaulting two rivals during a match in Tetbury has accepted a formal police caution and will not have to stand jury trial.

The prosecution on Monday offered no evidence at Gloucester crown court against Ashley Witts, 18, of Kaskelot Way, Hempsted, Gloucester, and he was discharged.

At the prosecution invitation Judge Jamie Tabor QC formally found Witts not guilty of the main charge against him, assaulting Avondale U-18s goalkeeper Jack Johnson causing him actual bodily harm on September 29 2013.

Witts, centre forward for Hardwicke Rangers U-18s, had also been accused of common assault on another opposition player, Sam Krayem-Wood during the same match but that charge will now lie on the file.

The court had been told the incident happened during a match at Sir William Romney School, Tetbury.

Witts was alleged to have broken the goalkeeper's nose.

A group of students were in court for Monday's brief hearing and Judge Tabor explained to them: "This was a case which first came before me on May 30. It is about an assault that allegedly took place on the field of play of a football game.

"On June 12 the prosecution said it was going to be a five day trial even though it was relatively straightforward and minor and he felt it might be better to caution the defendant - that is to say to get him to admit what he had done and give him a severe ticking off.

"In July the prosecutor found that those above him did not agree about the caution so we set the case down for trial on January 19. But then others thought about the case further and he has now been cautioned so there will be no trial."