Joey Barton trial: Rival manager 'in shock' after shove, court hears

Joey Barton, who at the time was managing Fleetwood Town, denies assault occasioning actual bodily harm

A football coach found his boss lying shocked and bloodied in a stadium tunnel after an alleged attack by a rival manager, a court has heard.

Ex-Fleetwood Town manager Joey Barton is on trial charged with assaulting former Barnsley boss Daniel Stendel following a game in April 2019.

Sheffield Crown Court was told that Mr Barton knocked into Mr Stendel, who then hit his head on a metal post and suffered facial injuries.

Mr Barton denies the charge.

Former Barnsley assistant manager Christopher Stern told jurors he did not see how his then boss was injured but came to his aid soon afterwards.

Mr Stern said: "He was in shock. There was blood coming out of his mouth and nose. His front teeth were backwards."

Daniel Stendel was the Barnsley manager at the time of the alleged incident

The prosecution told the court about tensions between the coaches at Barnsley and Fleetwood which began at the Lancashire fixture in September 2018.

They are said to have resurfaced at the match in April at Barnsley's Oakwell ground.

'Emotional reflex'

Mr Stern, a German national, was asked about events in the second half of the April game.

He agreed that he celebrated enthusiastically after Barnsley went 3-1 up, adding: "I was screaming 'yes', 'yeah'."

Mr Stern said he turned in an "emotional reflex" to face the opposition's technical area and dugout.

Simon Csoka QC, defending Mr Barton, said to Mr Stern: "It was a deliberate decision by you to go over and effectively celebrate in their faces."

He replied: "There was no intention to deliberately upset."

On Monday, Mr Stendel told the jury how he was walking down the tunnel after Barnsley's 4-2 victory when he was knocked over by a push from behind.

He said his face hit the tunnel structure and described how he looked up to see that Mr Barton was the only person in front of him.

Barnsley performance analyst intern Nathan Kirby told the jury that he saw Mr Barton run past him and shoulder-barge Mr Stendel.

The defendant, who is now Bristol Rovers manager, denies one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The trial continues.