A NORTH Yorkshire football coach has been found guilty of butting an official from an opposing team in the dying minutes of a top-of-the-table match.

Selby Town FC manager Robert Lyon attacked Pickering Town's fixtures secretary, Alan Brenkley, on the sideline as he was picking up a football.

Lyon, 40, of Green Lane, Selby, denied the assault, at Pickering's home ground, on October 27 last year.

The court heard two days of evidence from Pickering and Selby supporters, club officials, and from a referee and linesman.

Prosecutor Nicholas Worsley claimed Lyon had gone to pick up a ball at the same time as Mr Brenkley, and had deliberately butted him.

Alisdair Campbell, defending, maintained the two men had simply had a clash of heads.

But Whitby magistrates rejected Lyon's defence and found him guilty of assault.

The attack happened in the dying minutes of extra time, just moments after Pickering took a 2-1 lead. Mr Brenkley suffered a bleeding nose for several hours and a black eye as a result of the assault.

The case was adjourned to May 17 at Scarborough Magistrates Court for pre-sentence reports.

Updated: 10:19 Saturday, April 27, 2002