Legal & General striker Anthony Deveson accidentally drank some of his side's muscle rub before their game with The Royal Sovereign last Saturday.

Deveson, 31, arrived late for the match, and in his haste to get ready, he gulped down some liquid from an unmarked bottle.

Unfortunately for the L & G hotshot, the substance was the team's pungent homemade muscle rub designed to loosen the limbs before games.

"I grabbed this bottle I thought was lemon squash," he said.

"I picked it up and took a big gulp. Then I realised what it was and I spat it straight out.

"It was really hot and I wanted to run through to the other part of the changing room to get some water but there were six or so players in the way."

Deveson admits he found the hot taste too revolting to bear.

"I don't like spicy foods or curries, in fact I prefer bland foods," he confessed.

It did not get any better for Deveson as he was dropped by manager Marcus Opoku and his team crashed to a 1-0 home defeat after skipper Matt Thorn put through his own net.

The home-made concoction is put together by Sid Pittman, a former physiotherapist. who previously worked under Deveson at Legal & General in Hove.

He said: "It is harmless, but I certainly wouldn't want to drink it. It is a mixture of linament rub which you can buy from Boots and Sunflower cooking oil because the rub would be too hot on its own."

Club secretary Alex Savage added: "It's typical of Dev, he is a bit of a character."

It is not all bad news for the player however. Park Life are giving Anthony a crate of London Pride to wash the taste away.

In the meantime, he can see what a soft-drink bottle looks like in our picture on the right.

Can he see the difference, now?