A boozy football supporter from High Wycombe has been cleared of hurling racial abuse at a rival team’s striker.

Plumber Mark Lander, of Bay Tree Close, admitted swearing at the veteran black striker and calling him a "f***ing c***" but denied calling him a "f***ing monkey".

The 32-year-old Wycombe Wanderers fan had travelled with friends to see his side play a league game at Exeter City’s St James Park ground last September.

Prosecutor Anita Noerr said Exeter City’s Clinton Morrison came on as a second half substitute and claimed Lander shouted racial abuse at him.

She told Exeter Magistrates' Court he shouted "f***ing monkey, f***ing black monkey and f***ing black twat".

She also said Lander was the "ringleader" in a group of five Wycombe fans in the away end of the ground.

Stewards alerted a police spotter in the ground and spoke to Lander who the court heard had been drinking alcohol.

In a voluntary interview to police two months later, he admitted abusing the veteran frontman and calling him a "f***ing c***" quite a few times but denied using racially-abusive language.

He told police he had drunk alcohol but was not drunk and said he was "not proud of the way he behaved".

A police officer who spoke to him after the game said: "He was polite. He seemed shocked by the allegation and denied it straight away. He was not very happy he had been stopped, but was not angry."

The constable said Exeter City has video recordings at games but there is no audio and it is "not the best quality".

A steward gave evidence saying he was "100 per cent certain" Lander used the words on three occasions.

But magistrates ruled that although racist words were used by someone there was not sufficient evidence to say that Lander was responsible.

Lander denied racially aggravated harassment and he was acquitted after a trial.