Football: Heskey heads injured tally

THE ENGLAND Under-21 coach Howard Wilkinson has been hit by more injuries ahead of tomorrow's European Under-21 Championship qualifier against Poland in Plock.

The Leicester City striker Emile Heskey, the Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie and the Manchester United winger Luke Chadwick have been forced to withdraw from the squad. Wilkinson has now lost 10 members of the original squad chosen 10 days ago, and as a result he has now called up the Southampton striker Jamie Beattie, the Sheffield United forward Curtis Woodhouse and the Manchester United midfielder Jonathan Greening.

The Liverpool manager, Gerard Houllier, is poised to sign the French Under-21 player Michael Silvestre in a pounds 3m deal. The Internazionale defender has also been linked with Manchester United, but sources close to the transfer claim it is a one-horse race.

Houllier is also keen to sign the French Under-21 centre-half Jean-Alain Boumsong from Le Havre. However, Juventus are preparing a pounds 4m offer for him.

The former Leicester City centre-back Spencer Prior has maintained that the Filbert Street club is to blame for the Worthington Cup final ticket dispute - not the players who find themselves in trouble with the Football Association.

Prior claims that Leicester allowed him to buy 70 tickets for the 1997 Coca-Cola Cup final against Middlesbrough. The player, now at Derby, insists that the same ticket allocation system was in place for last season's Worthington Cup final against Tottenham.

There were segregation problems leading to violence at that game. Prior said: "Given the number of tickets that Leicester make available, it's hardly a big surprise many find their way into the wrong hands." Prior, who played in the 1997 final, claimed: "I was allowed to buy 70 tickets for that game. Every player had the same offer. I know nothing had changed for last season's final against Spurs."

Tony Cottee and Andy Impey have been charged by the Football Association with "the irresponsible distribution of tickets". Twenty-four players and back-room staff at the club face misconduct charges for failing to meet an FA deadline for assisting its ticketing inquiry.