An ex-footballer who launched a brutal attack on a woman during a drunken night out has been locked up after his ‘egregious violence’ left her covered in her own blood.

Marcus Maddison’s assault left the 60-year-old woman with severe facial injuries after he delivered a heavy blow while wearing a large ring on his finger.

The Ex-Darlington player, who was repeatedly linked with a possible multi-million pound move to Sunderland while he was playing in League One with Peterborough United, called the woman’s daughter a “fat sl**” before hurling cheesy chips at her and punching her in the face.

She was left with complex facial fractures and unable to speak due to her injuries.

Violence erupted after the former midfielder left The Gate nightclub in Darlington at 3am in the early hours of Sunday, September 25, 2022.

The victim told Teesside Crown Court that she still suffers medical problems as a result of the brutal punch.

She said: “My jaw was broken in multiple places. I can't eat on the left-hand side of my mouth. I have problems with my teeth.

"I can no longer smell properly and have been on various different medications by my general practitioner to treat various ongoing issues. I've been a regular visitor to my GP since the assault. I have nerve damage to my face on the left-hand side and my taste buds are damaged."

The Bolton News: Marcus MaddisonMarcus Maddison (Image: Tim Hickman)

The ex-professional footballer who joined the Bolton Wanderers on loan from Charlton Athletic in February 2021 but made just 10 appearances for the whites, became embroiled in a row about queue jumping in a kebab shop before the altercation descended into violence.

The court Maddison said, “you come near me and I'm going to pelt these cheesy chips at you” after calling his victim’s daughter a “fat sl**”.

He then fell backwards before regaining his footing and delivering a heavy blow to the face of the woman. She was later found covered in blood sitting on the floor outside a shop in Darlington town centre.

Maddison, of High Causeway, Peterborough, admitted a charge of causing grievous bodily harm following the incident.

Tabitha Buck, mitigating, said he had stopped drinking as a result of his behaviour on that night and had fully accepted that his reaction of over the top.

Recorder Paul Reid jailed the ex-footballer for 20 months for the vicious assault.

“You struck the woman; you hit her with extreme force with your right fist and on your right hand you were wearing a large metal ring and that ring amounts to a weapon,” he said.

“This is an incident of egregious violence in a public place.”

Speaking after an earlier hearing, a spokesperson for Darlington FC said: "The club were made aware of an alleged incident and conducted an immediate disciplinary investigation. After discussions with the player concerned the club agreed to mutually terminate his contract with immediate effect at that time.

"Darlington FC is a fan-owned club and has a zero tolerance towards discrimination, violence of abusive behaviour."

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Maddison, who the court heard was previously of good character, started out in Newcastle United’s youth ranks and played for Gateshead before making more than 240 appearances and netting 62 goals during a six-season spell at Peterborough between 2014 and 2020.

In June 2021 he opted to step away from the professional game due to mental health reasons.