A young goalkeeper needed 22 stitches for a neck wound after he was slashed by an unknown attacker outside Oasis nightclub in Hamilton in the early hours of last Saturday.

Paul Nicholson, 26, who plays for BAA Wanderers, was rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital after the attack, which took place around 2.30 a.m..

Mr. Nicholson, an Englishman who lives in Paget, was involved in an argument inside the club which he believed to have finished.

But as he was standing outside later, a man ran past and slashed him on the back of the neck, leaving a four inch wound.

Police say one of the injured man's friends chased the attacker, but he was able to escape on foot.

Mr. Nicholson was released from hospital after receiving treatment. Police are urging anyone who witnessed the attack to call Central CID on 295 0011.