A KNIGHTON man embroiled in a football racism row has categorically denied racially abusing an opponent.

Justin Davies quit as player-manager of Knighton Town Reserves on Saturday, July 10, following a pre-season friendly match against Mid Wales rivals Llandrindod Wells Reserves earlier that day.

The game was abandoned by referee Paul Tantrum after Llandrindod right-back Nathan Millington – who is of a mixed-race background – left the field of play after accusing Mr Davies of racially abusing him.

Mr Millington, 20, was joined by team-mates in walking off the Lant Avenue pitch at around the 60-minute mark, with the Spamen 3-2 up.

Mr Davies resigned after the game, but said: "I’m innocent.

“I deny saying anything racial to the player. I said one swear word to him and it’s gone from there. It’s my word against his and they took it as his word and abandoned the game.

“I’m not a racist, I haven’t got a racist bone in my body. I have mixed race people in my family and I am not a racist at all.”

The two teams were due to play again this weekend but that match has now been cancelled, with Llandrindod instead bringing forward a friendly against Rhayader Town Reserves to this Friday, July 16.

“We did have an argument on the pitch, but I wasn’t racial to him at all," Mr Davies added.

“There were players from both teams around us and they said they didn’t hear me say any racial comments to him. One Llandrindod player came up to me saying he didn’t hear anything. The referee didn’t hear anything and then the game got abandoned because the Llandrindod players walked off.

“To be honest it’s my family’s safety that concerns me more than anything else. I’m innocent but I’m still looking over my shoulder just in case I get jumped on.”

Knighton chairman Gary Cooper released a statement on behalf of Knighton Town via Facebook after the incident, saying the club does not condone any form of racism or discrimination and apologising to Llandrindod Football Club and the Football Association of Wales (FAW) for any ill feeling or offence caused.

But Mr Davies said he resigned because he felt it was in the best interests of the club.

“I’d rather leave the club than be told I need to leave," he said. Whatever happened, it would reflect badly on the club so that’s why I did it.

“I came home and wasn’t happy about what happened. I don’t like getting accused of something I didn’t do. But it was better for me and the club to leave, I don’t want them to get a bad name.

“I didn’t want to put the club in an awkward position, I tried to do the decent thing. Hopefully I can move on.”

On Tuesday, the Robins announced that Phil Stokes had replaced Mr Davies as reserve team manager.