Hearts legend Prentice 'bottled in club assault'

Bobby Prentice in his Hearts time

The former winger was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after the incident at Dalkeith Miners Club and is now recovering at home.

He is understood to have been hit over the head with a bottle and then kicked as he lay on the floor of the club, which is also known as Woodburn Club.

A friend said he had spoken to the Hearts hero, who had been left shaken but relieved that his injuries were not more severe.

The friend, who did not want to be named, said: "He got hit over the head with a bottle and they were kicking him when he was down. He's got a couple of staples in the back of his head and a bit of bruising about the face.

"He said it's better than he thought it was. He was taken to the Royal but he got out by about 4am. He said he was just in the place, he'd just walked in and it just happened right away."

The footballer played for Hearts from 1973 until 1979, making 240 appearances and scoring 26 goals. Popular with supporters, he inspired the chant "Bobby Prentice on the wing".

He joined Hearts in the summer of 1973 on a free transfer from Jock Stein's Celtic and his first goal for the club came at Ibrox in September of that year in a memorable 3-0 victory against Rangers.

One of the highlights of his time at Hearts was the 5-1 win over Locomotiv Leipzig in the European Cup-Winners' Cup of 1976-77.

He was also a hero of the Scottish Cup semi-final replay over Dumbarton in 1976, when he scored one of three Hearts goals. His time at Tynecastle came to an end when he was sold to Toronto Blizzard in May 1979. On his return to Dalkeith, however, he became a familiar face at the club once more as a supporter.

A police spokesman said: "A 57-year-old man was taken to hospital. A 47-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man were arrested and charged in connection with the incident and are due to appear in court today."