A NORTH Yorkshire football coach head-butted an official from an opposing team in the dying minutes of a top-of-the-table clash, a court heard.

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

Whitby Magistrates were told that only minutes before the incident, Pickering had gained a 2-1 lead.

The winning goal, scored in extra time, had incensed the Selby manager, who had been banned from his dugout by the referee for abusive, racist and threatening behaviour earlier in the match.

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

Mr Brenkley told the court he was standing on the opposite side of the pitch to the teams' dugouts and more than 100 spectators when he was attacked. He said earlier in the match Lyon had disputed a linesman's decision and had been ushered back to his dugout.

Minutes later the defendant was approached by the referee who asked him to leave the pitch.

After leaving his dugout Lyon walked around to the opposite side of the pitch where Mr Brenkley was standing. "The ball went out of play, I went to pick it up and the Selby manager told me to hurry up," said Mr Brenkley, who suffered a black eye and bloody nose after the attack. "He then came towards me and head-butted me in the nose."

Pickering supporters Andrew Hardy and Christopher Parker, who were sitting in the spectator's stand at the time of the attack, said they witnessed Lyon lunge at Mr Brenkley.

Pickering Club member Robert Carr was standing feet away from the two men at the time of the incident. He said Lyon had been very agitated during the match and had been sent away from his dugout after shouting racist abuse at a linesman.

Alistair Campbell, defending, quizzed the witness whether it was possible Lyon was simply going to pick up the same ball as Mr Brenkley and there had simply been an accidental "clash of heads".

"He head-butted him and it was no accident," said Mr Carr.

Lyon was arrested following the match and in a police interview claimed he had not intended to head-butt the complainant. He said Mr Brenkley was slow in retrieving an out-of-play ball and both men had gone to pick it up at the same time. It was then their heads accidentally met.

The case continues.

A match between the two sides, at Selby Town's Flaxley Road stadium on April 4, had to be postponed after an electricity cable to floodlights was accidentally severed by a groundsman.

Updated: 11:26 Thursday, April 25, 2002