A MAN who went on a day-long pub crawl after England were knocked out of the World Cup claims to have been stabbed in a scuffle.

Kaz Knight told Swindon Crown Court yesterday that following the ill-fated clash with Brazil last June 21 he drank about nine pints and two brandy and cokes.

And he claimed that he suffered a stab wound in a tussle outside The Bulldog pub in Queens Drive shortly before 10.30pm.

Shane Wolton, 19, of The Crescent, Chiseldon, has pleaded not guilty both to wounding with intent and unlawful wounding.

Prosecuting, Paul Cook told the court Mr Knight watched the football game in The Bedroom bar in Swindon's Bridge Street before ending up at The Bulldog.

"He had been drinking throughout the day and he was merry," Mr Cook said. "The defendant was also in the pub that evening. He and Kaz Knight were not known to each other and, at 10.30pm Kaz, his friend Jason and girlfriend Kerry were going to go home."

Mr Cook went on to describe how, when Mr Knight was waiting for his friend Jason, Wolton approached him and they started fighting.

"They both punched each other," said Mr Cook. "After a short while Kaz felt very badly winded and he was unable to fight. He had acute pain in his torso and when he went back into the pub he pulled his top up and it was apparent he had been stabbed in the side of the torso."

Mr Knight told the court that on leaving The Bulldog he was telling his friend Jason to hurry up when Wolton approached him.

"He jumped out of a white BMW and came over to me," said Mr Knight. "We started to have a little fight. He just walked up to me. He punched me in the face and I punched him in his face."

He said: "When I walked to the bar that's when I realised I had been stabbed, I lifted up my top and all this blood was coming out."

He confirmed that he was taken to Swindon's Princess Margaret Hospital, where he had an exploratory operation on his spleen and spent a week recovering.

Defending, Marcus Davey suggested that Mr Knight had got into a verbal exchange with a friend of Wolton before trying to swing Wolton around and on to the floor.

"It didn't happen," Mr Knight said. "He punched me in the face and it didn't work. I didn't attack him, I was attacked first."

The case continues.