SORRY JANUARY 3rd....bit distracted!!

On January 3rd 1948, the Radio (remember those? sometimes known as the "wireless") allowed folk the benefit of listening to football results and some commentary of matches. BBC Sports Report was heard for the3 first time, with its familiar theme tune and advertised as "a new Saturday feature for sportsmen" The show broadcast, with James Alexander Gordon at the microphone, reading out the football results of the afternoon in his comforting tones. In the modern day version it is Stuart Hall, amongst others, who deliver the football news.

On this same day in 2002, 

David O'Leary published his controversial book, which contained script that would "envelop" the Leeds United club, entitled "Leeds United on Trial". The controversial title covered the "trials" of Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer for their assault on Sarfraz Najeib. It had just concluded and those who read the "account"  may agree that it was no "great read" and suggested that O'Leary has written more books than he has read!! The Asian student suffered serious injuries after a brutal street attack carried out by two Leeds United footballers, the prosecution was told at Hull Crown court. On the second day of the trial of Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer, the jury was shown photographs taken of Sarfraz Najeib at hospital following the assault. Mr Najeib, 21, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was kicked and punched unconscious in Mill Hill, Leeds, in January last year. He was left in a pool of blood and his attackers fled the city centre. 

The Leeds Metropolitan student suffered two black eyes, cuts to his head, a bite mark to his right cheek, a fractured leg, broken nose and fractured cheekbone. Bowyer, 24 and Woodgate, 21, deny causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Najeib and affray. Two of Woodgate's friends, Paul Clifford and Neale Caveney, both 22, also deny the charges. The prosecution says Mr Najeib, his brother and two friends were involved in a confrontation outside the Majestyk nightclub with another of Woodgate's friends, James Hewison, who is not on trial. Mr Najeib had the "temerity" to hit back after being knocked to the ground and a chase began along Boar Lane. The jury has been told Mr Najeib fell behind and was caught by a group of white men in Mill Hill, where the attack took place. 

Mr Campbell said that after the assault, Bowyer returned to the Majestyk club where he was allowed back in. But Woodgate and his friends from the North East were refused entry because Hewison had already been thrown out for drunken and aggressive behaviour. Mr Campbell said Woodgate and two of his friends had initially got into a taxi to be taken to the Marriott Hotel, where they were staying, but changed their minds and instead got into the black Range Rover of another Leeds United player Michael Duberry. He said Duberry's car was seen by a window cleaner driving along Boar Lane, where the attack had taken place. As it slowed down, a passenger window in the rear came down and the car then did a U-turn and sped off the way it had come. 

Mr Campbell added: "The actions of these defendants in leaving not just the immediate scene, but the city centre itself, where the majority of them were staying in a hotel are entirely different from others who had witnessed the assault and were assisting and giving their names to police." Woodgate and his four friends, including Clifford and Caveney were driven to Duberry's home in Woodlesford some six miles away. While there, one of them, Anthony Robinson who had not taken any part in the earlier chase and another, Clifford were each given a change of clothing, Campell said. 

A taxi driver called later to Duberry's house saw Caveney and Hewison, who had both been injured, outside but declined to stop for them. Mr Campbell said: "Both had been injured and you may consider it was to distance Jonathan Woodgate from anyone who was injured that these two left ahead of the group, Michael Duberry's home. 

"You will hear how anxious Jonathan Woodgate's friends were to shield him from the allegation of the use of violence that night." Woodgate and two other friends, including Clifford then caught the taxi back to their hotel. Lee Bowyer had in the meantime been given a lift from Leeds to his home in 

Mr Campbell said: "But it is the Crown's case that there must have been discussions between Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer about what had happened to Sarfraz Najeib, the man they had left lying in Mill Hill and what they might do if their involvement came to light. Mr Campbell said that a sample of blood from Sarfraz Najeib's brother Shahzad, who received minor injuries in the attack, matched blood found on the right cuff of a black Prada jacket worn by Bowyer that night.

He said an expert would give evidence that there was strong support for the view that Bowyer had come into direct contact with Sarfraz Najeib. There was also evidence that blood from Caveney was found on the back of Bowyer's jacket.

Mr Campbell said there would also be evidence from an expert in bite marks that an injury to Sarfraz Najeib's cheek had been caused by the defendant Clifford. He said there would be further evidence from a footwear expert who would say that shoes handed to police by Woodgate and Bowyer were not the ones seen being worn by them on video footage taken on the night of the attack.

The jury was also told that Woodgate and Bowyer lied to police when the pair were arrested six days after the assault on Mr Najeib. Adrian Waterman, junior prosecution counsel, said the footballers told "untruths" to officers in an attempt to distance themselves from the attack.

In police interviews, Woodgate said he saw no trouble outside the Majestyk nightclub but saw a group running away and followed them because he was "being nosey". In a later interview, the defender changed his story and said he had seen a fracas outside the club. Mr Waterman said: "These are tell-tale  signs that his account was being made up."

The jury was told that Bowyer was arrested on the same day, January 18, and told police that he had been assaulted in Boar Lane and had not taken part in any attack. Both players claimed they were at the back of the chasing group, the court was told.

"Bowyer said he fell over and then he was either punched or kicked," said Mr Waterman. "It's the Crown's case that these two men (Bowyer and Woodgate) knew full well what they had done in Mill Hill and wanted to mislead police by presenting themselves as stragglers at the back."