A SEMI-PROFESSIONAL footballer from Bournemouth has been jailed for 14 months after admitting an assault charge.

Dorchester Town player Rico Wilson pleaded guilty at Bournemouth Crown Court to inflicting grievous bodily harm on Sebastian McWilliams.

The 21-year-old ex-Cherries’ youth player, who lives at Stone Gardens on Townsend Estate, was sentenced yesterday by Judge Samuel Wiggs.

Wilson also played for Bournemouth Poppies and Yeovil Town youth teams as well as Wimborne Town, Poole Town Football Club on loan and Sherborne Town Football Club.

It is not the first time that Wilson has found himself on the wrong side of the law.

In February last year the striker was sacked from Dorchester Town after being jailed for possessing 1.87g of class B drug methedrone. He served two months of a seven-month sentence.

He also faced charges of failing to comply with a direction from a police officer outside a Bournemouth nightclub, failing to turn up at court, a public order offence and breaching a suspended sentence order imposed relating to an assault charge in August 2008.

Dorchester Town sacked him again yesterday but did not rule out a return to the club on his release. Club chairman Shaun Hearn described Wilson’s return to prison just a year after his last spell behind bars as “disappointing” and stressed the county town players’ duty to act as appropriate role models.

He added: “Rico is non-contract so that’s the end of it. He’s been sent to prison so his arrangement with us is null and void. I’m not going to kick someone when they’re down but we cannot condone any behaviour that causes people harm.”

When asked if the forward, currently the Magpies’ joint top-scorer with eight goals this season, would be given another chance at the Avenue Stadium upon his release, Mr Hearn replied: “Who knows what the future holds for anybody? We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

“It’s down to the management team. He has done wrong so he needs to serve his punishment. Hopefully he will learn from it.”