A CLUB manager was stabbed in the leg as a gang of men attacked nightclub staff with broken bottles, a belt and a knife.

Dave Cooksley was stabbed in the leg during a fracas outside The Arch nightclub in King’s Road , Brighton, at just before midnight on Saturday.

Four men were arrested by Sussex Police after bouncers managed to restrain them.

Shooshh! club manager Albie Saliba hailed the doormen as “heroes” for putting themselves in harm’s way to restrain the men leading to their arrest.

The VIP superclub had been the first to turn a group of ten South London men away from their premises before warning fellow seafront venues Wah Kiki and The Arch.

At The Arch, the men then became aggressive with four brandishing broken bottles at doormen and one lashing a bouncer with his belt.

Another man produced a large flick knife but a doorman was able to restrain him to the floor.

As the pair lay on the ground, the man continued to wave the knife around catching Mr Cooksley in the leg.

He was taken to accident and emergency but released on Sunday and is now recovering at home.

Mr Saliba said: “This is not a regular occurrence.

“I have been in Brighton for three years now and I have never experienced something like this before.

“I am very proud of my team, they put themselves in danger to disarm the guy, they are heroes.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Sussex Police on 101 quoting serial 2035 of July 7.