A West Sussex referee has spoken out against increasing "football rage" after he was beaten to the ground.

David Winter was taken to hospital with a broken nose in an attack during a match.

Surgeons operated to reconstruct his shattered face following the incident on Saturday.

But the father-of-four refused to be intimidated and last night vowed to return to the pitch.

Mr Winter, 49, of Normandy Lane, East Preston, near Littlehampton, said: "Football rage is becoming increasingly common and it has got to stop now.

"We've got to stamp out this type of behaviour otherwise people won't come forward as referees.

"This attack is not going to stop me refereeing but it has made me more careful. The players won't get so close in future."

The assault took place in the final minutes of extra time during a West Sussex Premier League game.

Mr Winter, who has been refereeing for 20 years, was assaulted while booking a player after awarding a penalty.

The game was abandoned as he was stretchered off and police were called. He said: "There was another player about 12 yards away and I heard him say 'you're not leaving here alive'.

"I told him to go to one side and, the next thing I knew, he had punched me."

Mr Winter praised the manager and players of the other side for calling an ambulance and accompanying him to hospital.

He said: "I was dazed and bleeding very badly. My nose was shattered."

Mr Winter, who was taken to Chichester Hospital and kept in overnight for surgery on Sunday, is taking legal advice and waiting to give a statement to police.

The manager of the team believed to be involved in the assault said his player was too upset to comment.

He said: "He doesn't know himself how it happened. He just flipped."

But the opposing team's manager said: "I have made a report to the Sussex Football Association (SFA) and will be happy to speak to the police."

Ken Benham, chief executive of the SFA, said the player faced a five-year ban if he was found guilty of misconduct.