The man who three people are accused of trying to murder at Wellington Oval has told a jury he feared he would be killed when he came under repeated attack from thugs wielding machetes and knives.

Terrified Tarik Foster said he suffered five stab wounds and chops to his arms, as a high-profile football match spilled over into disturbing scenes of public violence involving about 20 men.

Taking the witness stand as the third week of the Wellington Oval retrial started in Supreme Court yesterday, Mr. Foster watched in silence as a DVD of the disturbance ? filmed by a spectator ? showed him lying on the field trying to shield himself from his attackers.

Asked by Senior Crown Counsel Carrington Mahoney to describe his injuries, Mr. Foster said he cannot write properly and needed another operation because of the pain in his right hand.

He then pointed to what he said was a ?chop wound? on that hand, and told how he nearly lost his right index finger and had to spend two days in hospital.

Ki-Roy Kinta Butterfield, 27, of Cherry Hill Park, Paget; Jahcai Morris, 24, of Sylvan Dell, Paget, and Tahir Nesta Bascome, 22, of Dunscombe Road, Warwick, all deny attempting to murder Mr. Foster at the Friendship Trophy soccer final at St. George?s stadium on April 4, 2004.

The trio also pleaded not guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent.

Mr. Foster, who had been watching a day of soccer finals at the stadium with a group of friends from the St. George?s area, told the court how a confrontation started near the scoreboard.

He said a ?scuffle? began between himself and Butterfield?s brother. Mr. Foster then said men suddenly started ?turning up with machetes?. He said he tried to dodge one, but added that there were too many people coming at him. The witness told how a friend had to pull him from the wall so he did not get chopped from behind.

After being stabbed a couple of times, Mr. Foster said he walked away before being chased by an armed group which included men brandishing a sword, a machete and a knife.

He then said Butterfield jumped on top of him, grabbed his neck and stabbed him in the neck.

Mr. Foster later said he was stabbed about five more times before he reached the ground?s clubhouse.

Under cross-examination, Elizabeth Christopher, for Butterfield, put it to Mr. Foster that Butterfield never stabbed him in the neck. Mr. Foster replied: ?That?s not true.?

Miss Christopher, however, added that her client was trying to break up the fight behind the goalpost and said that the witness made his claims about her client after seeing pictures showing events at Wellington Oval.

Mr. Foster denied his neck injuries were ?superficial? and said he was bleeding from his mouth and coughing up blood.

Miss Christopher also asked the witness why he had the nickname ?Psycho?. Mr. Foster said it was a nickname he got as a child.

Charles Richardson, for Morris, said Mr. Foster failed to pick out his client at a Police identification parade ? but instead selected three men who had nothing to do with the Wellington Oval fracas.

He told the jury this cast serious doubt on the witness picking out the three defendants in the dock as among the group of his attackers.

Mr. Foster also told Mr. Richardson a group of about 20 men attacked him, meaning that some of the men responsible for his injuries had not been brought before the courts.

On his failure to identify all the defendants when he gave his Police statement in the aftermath of the violence, Mr. Foster said: ?I can?t look at everyone?s face when I?m being chopped.

?I was trying to stop myself getting killed.?

Ed Bailey, for Bascome, told the witness that he did not see his client at the Wellington Oval when trouble flared.

Mr. Foster, who the court heard was convicted of causing GBH in 1999, denied not seeing Bascome and added: ?I?m absolutely sure about it because I looked at him before he came running in to chop me.?

Mr. Bailey asked Mr. Foster if he had ever given Bascome a reason to attack him with a machete. The witness replied: ?I have never given anybody any reason to attack me.?

Butterfield has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted wounding with intent to cause GBH, possessing an offensive weapon and being armed in public to cause terror.

Morris and Bascome have both denied possessing an offensive weapon and being armed in public to cause terror.

The trial continues.