Nicholas McArthur (24), address given as 28 Auchnacloich Road, admitted assaulting a man in the Struan Bar in Mountstuart Road on October 20 last year by butting him on the head.

Fiscal Stephen McGowan said the incident had occurred after a televised football match between Rangers and Celtic earlier that day, and was the result of some post-match banter about the result which threatened to get out of hand.

McArthur, said the fiscal, had tried to intervene in an argument between two men, and had "gone head to head" with one of them, twice nudging his head forward into the head of the complainer.

Pat Simpson, defending, said McArthur had had no intention of causing any disturbance, and had got between the two men in an attempt to prevent any trouble.

She said McArthur, an electrician, and his girlfriend had hopes of emigrating to Australia, and asked the sheriff to consider giving her client an absolute discharge because of the effect a conviction could have on his future.

But Sheriff Jamieson said he could not consider an absolute discharge in the circumstances as they had been explained, and said: "This is the kind of thing the public has an interest in seeing suppressed."

In relation to the same incident, 24-year-old John Junner pleaded guilty at the sheriff court on Monday to committing a breach of the peace by shouting, swearing and behaving in a disorderly manner.

Junner, address given as 21 Bush Road, Rothesay, had been involved in the row McArthur had sought to defuse; on seeing his friend arrested, Junner had complained: "You're not getting him done - he's getting the jail for f*** all."

Marianne Hunter, defending Junner, said her client had offered his apologies to the other party involved, but his offer had been turned down.

Sheriff Jamieson called for background reports on both accused and deferred sentence until May 12.