Marlon King was jailed for 18 months on Thursday for groping a young woman in a nightclub and then breaking her nose after she spurned him. The Wigan striker, who was celebrating both his wife's pregnancy and scoring a winning goal hours earlier, was repeatedly "cold-shouldered" by women revellers in London's packed Soho Revue Bar last December.

His single clenched fist blow was so powerful that two other revellers - one of them holding on to his arm - were also sent flying.

The 29-year-old, from Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, claimed he was a victim of "mistaken identity".

But after hearing overwhelming evidence from a string of witnesses, including a football coach who insisted he was the assailant, the jury decided he was lying.

He was unanimously convicted of sexually assaulting the 20-year-old and causing actual bodily harm.

Latics chairman Dave Whelan told Sky Sports News: "We have to follow the rules and regulations, which means we will have to give him 40 days notice that his contract will be cancelled.

"He is absolutely sacked - we will not tolerate football players who get sent to jail for 18 months. As far as we are concerned, he is finished with football at Wigan Athletic."