FORGETFUL football hooligan Darren Platt breached an international football ban because he had no idea England were playing two friendlies, a court heard.

Print finisher Platt, 26, of Downton Road, Penhill, received the three-year banning order for affray after he became involved in fighting at a match between Millwall and Nottingham Forest in October last year.

Recipients of the ban are excluded from all games and have to surrender their passport when England play abroad.

Platt was among scores of football fans required to regularly report to their local police station during this summer's World Cup.

But police were notified when he failed to turn up during England's pre-tournament friendlies with South Korea and Cameroon.

Prosecutor Frank Murphy told Swindon magistrates Platt had not shown up for the matches on May 21 and 26.

But Platt's solicitor David Gostling said his client had not realised the matches were on. He said Platt had not watched the games and had not been trying to travel to any matches abroad.

Magistrates fined Platt a total of £200 for two failures to comply with the international football banning order and ordered him to pay £55 costs.

After the hearing father-of-one Platt said: "I have lost interest in football a bit after the ban.

"Most of the talk recently was about World Cup matches and when England played two friendlies just before no-one rang me about it.

"It wasn't until the Sweden game, when I went to the police station, that they told me I had not reported for the two games and they arrested me then.

"Obviously I'm gutted to have the ban.

"I've been following Millwall for eight years after going there with a couple of mates from London.

"It is pretty hard to follow them now they're not on television much. I just have to focus on doing other things like socialising. I received the ban because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

He added: "I am quite relieved that I was fined for breaching it because I was expecting custody."

There have been 73 football-related arrests by Swindon police so far in 2001 to 2002.

Of that, 37 arrests were for violent offences, there were 30 cautions and six cases were not pursued.

The number of football banning orders imposed in Swindon stand at 22.

PC Barry Reed, Swindon football intelligence officer, said: "I think the bans send a message through the football community that the police in Swindon together with the CPS, magistrates and the football club, will not tolerate violence committed around football matches."