A PROFESSIONAL footballer admitted grabbing a bag of chips from the hands of another man and hitting him in a drunken assault, Weymouth magistrates were told.

Jordan Patrick Collins, 20, had been on loan to Weymouth FC until the beginning of May – only days before the early-hours incident in the town centre.

Collins, of Highwood Road, Writtle, Chelmsford, pleaded guilty to assault by beating on Thomas Mayberry on May 3.

He was given a one-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay compensation of £120 and prosecution costs of £60.

Heather Jackson, prosecuting, said the assault victim had ‘a fair bit to drink’ during the evening before the group he was with encountered and argued with another group by the King’s Statue around 3.20am.

Mr Mayberry told officers later that he had tried to calm the incident. Police had parted the two groups.

Minutes afterwards Mr Mayberry went to a kebab shop where he got chips and after leaving again saw Collins with a young woman and claimed: “I knew something was going to happen at this point.”

He had told police Collins knocked the chips from his hands and punched him to the face – leaving him with a bloody nose.

The court heard he had responded by trying to hit back. The court was told that Mr Mayberry had borrowed a phone and when he tried to call the police the woman tried to stop him.

Miss Jackson told the court that when seen by police Collins had admitted being very drunk after a night out on the town with his girlfriend.

He had said: “I lost my head I was so drunk.”

David Coombe, in mitigation, said Collins disputed some of the prosecution account of the incident – and maintained he had not been in a group.

Mr Coombe said Collins was a professional footballer who had been on loan to Weymouth.

He produced letters of reference on behalf of Collins from schools and previous clubs for the magistrates.