POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a man was stabbed on the way home from a football match.

The 61-year-old was slashed on his face and body after confronting teenagers following a Bristol Rovers' fixture.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: "The victim had left the Bristol Rovers ground in Horfield and was walking along the A38 Filton Road, close to a play park at the junction with Dorian Road, between 5pm and 5.15pm on December 9, when three teenagers on bicycles rode past him on the path.

He said that the victim exchanged  words with the three teenagers about the way they were cycling, resulting in one of them producing a knife.

He was then slashed in the face and stabbed in the body.

He was taken to hospital but his injuries are not life-threatening, the spokesman said.

"We want to trace the offender and the other two people he was with, who were all aged between 14 and 17 years old," he added.

The teenager who stabbed the victim is described as white, 5ft 2ins, of slim build with a local accent. He was wearing a brown and orange baseball cap and a blue top and was riding an orange bicycle.

The second teenager was white, 6ft, with blond hair and he was wearing a grey jacket and riding a light coloured bicycle.

The third was also white and riding a bike.

After the stabbing, they rode off towards the city centre.

The police have now launched a hunt to track down the trio.

Investigating officer DS Steve Black said: “This is a very concerning incident in which a 61-year-old man was attacked with a knife and we want to find those responsible as soon as possible.

“There would have been a number of people in the area, either leaving or going into the nearby Horfield Leisure Centre, or walking home following the conclusion of the Bristol Rovers match.

“Did you see this incident? Did you see three teenagers on bikes matching the descriptions we have given? If you can help, please call us.”

Anyone with information should call 101 and give the reference number 5217281695.