Former England player jailed for drink driving after fighting a long battle against alcoholism

This was the notorious moment that Paul Gascoigne ruptured the ligaments of his right knee in the 1991 FA Cup final, an injury which kept him out of the game for almost a year and arguably heralded his descent into alcoholism.

But the player at the receiving end of the challenge has seen a reversal of fortunes even more dramatic than the one suffered so publicly by the former England midfielder.

Gary Charles - the Nottingham Forest defender who avoided injury in the tackle only for his team to lose 2-1 - was jailed yesterday for four months after admitting drink-driving offences. He was twice found in a drunken stupor in his car, in one case sitting in a pile of faeces and ripped up money.

The former Aston Villa and West Ham player had been tipped for a glittering international career. At the age of 21, Charles was seen as the England right-back for a decade after winning two caps with the national side in 1991.

Derby magistrates were told yesterday that Charles, 33, was found lying semi-conscious in the footwell of his Mercedes after leaving behind him a trail of destruction following a drinking binge last September. Helen Griffiths, for the prosecution, said police found the silver convertible reversed into a pub hedge after it had demolished a wall, just missing several lines of parked cars: "The driver door was open and slumped on the floor was this defendant, who identified himself. They found he could not stand without assistance, his speech was slurred and his eyes were glazed over."

Magistrates were told that the incident in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, came five months after Charles was discovered in a hire car on a slip road near Redditch with the keys in the ignition, the radio blaring and shredded bank notes scattered across the floor. The player was sitting in his own excrement. Mrs Griffiths said: "Officers found a small, empty vodka bottle in the car and when he was later asked to provide a sample he told police to 'piss off'." Charles pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to a charge of dangerous driving and two counts of failing to provide a specimen.

His playing career was declared over in 2002 after a long-standing knee injury became so bad that he could not take to the field.Those who know the player, whose clubs included Derby County and the Portuguese team Benfica, say his alcoholism had its roots in lengthy spells on the sidelines recovering from injury. In the last six seasons of his career, he played only 54 senior games. Stephen Gelsthorpe, the solicitor representing Charles, said he turned to drink in 1996 after an ankle injury threatened to deprive him of his passion - to play football. Mr Gelsthorpe said: "That period of time was when Mr Charles developed an alcoholic illness and began to drink to excess to cope with the disappointment of not playing."

The player had a number of previous offences related to his drinking, including an incident in 2001 when his £70,000 Mercedes was found abandoned in Essex with a half-full bottle of whisky on the front seat after a collision with a Ford Sierra. A court was told that Charles, from Alfreton, Derbyshire, offered the Sierra driver his car in return for not making a complaint before fleeing.

Mr Gelsthorpe told yesterday's hearing that the latest incidents happened after the end of the player's career and coincided with the break-up of his marriage and the discovery that his best friend was stealing money from him. He said: "As his professional career ended, so he once again took up his career as an alcoholic."

The court heard that the player, whose double-glazing firm has also folded, was now seeking help for his addiction.

But the Professional Footballers' Association said the player had yet to accept an offer of a place at the clinic set up by the former Arsenal captain Tony Adams to help players fight their addictions.

John Bramhall, senior executive at the PFA, said: "There is a place for Gary at the clinic which he has so far declined to accept. The culture of football has changed and youngsters are now taught about the risks of alcohol. But unfortunately, there are a number of players for whom there is no happy ending."