A MAN accused of attacking Leigh Centurions player Danny Tickle and leaving him with serious head injuries has been cleared.

A jury took more than four hours to find Stuart Johnson, of Grimshaw Court, Golborne, not guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm today and he was discharged from the dock.

After the case at Liverpool Crown Court, which was a retrial after a jury last year could not agree a verdict, Mr Johnson said that he is very relieved to have been acquitted.

“This has been hanging over me for 18 months and I am pleased with the jury’s decision,” he said.

The 29-year-old had a group of supporters in the public gallery throughout the three-day trial and they said 'yes' with delight when the jury's verdict was announced.

It had been alleged by the prosecution that Mr Johnson launched an unprovoked attack on Mr Tickle, a second rower who was then playing for Widnes Vikings, causing him to 'collapse like a sack of spuds'.

Mr Johnson disputed that version of events and vehemently told the court he had acted in self-defence.

He explained that he had ended up in Queens Nightclub in Ashton-in-Makerfield with friends in the early hours of November 1, 2015, after earlier competing in a rugby final, which his team lost.

Mr Tickle, a friend, was also in the club and Mr Johnson claims the now 33-year-old Centurions player 'took a swing' at him but missed after they had exchanged words in the toilets.

Both men were asked to leave the premises.

Mr Johnson left first and was shown on CCTV standing on the pavement looking towards the door and gesturing.

He explained to the court that he was waiting for his companions.

Mr Tickle, who was obviously drunk, came out and walked towards him.

“I thought he wanted to confront me over what went on in the toilets,” said Mr Johnson.

He said that Mr Tickle had been aggressive and was trying to get him in a headlock.

Others at the scene intervened and Mr Tickle then walked off towards an adjacent alleyway.

Mr Johnson said: “He beckoned me down the alley, saying ‘get down here'. I didn’t want to go because there would have been a fight.”

He pointed out that Mr Tickle, a former Halifax, Wigan, Hull FC and Castleford player, was much bigger than him at about 6ft 4ins and weighing around 17stone.

Cross-examined by Henry Riding, prosecuting, he said Mr Tickle then moved towards him.

“I thought he was going to strike me," Mr Johnson said.

"He lifted his arm and I struck him.

"I stumbled forwards as I lost my balance. I didn’t carry on hitting him.”

Mr Tickle did not give evidence at the court, which heard that he suffered a traumatic brain injury and a fractured skull after the punch and has no recollection of the incident.

He did not need surgery and made 'a reasonably good recovery', said Mr Riding.

Mr Tickle was released by Widnes last March following the incident.

He joined Leigh in July.