A detective has described injuries suffered by the man three people are accused of attempting to murder at the Wellington Oval football match.

Detective Constable Garic Swainson told a retrial jury yesterday how Tarik Foster was seriously injured and needed hospital treatment after being attacked by thugs wielding machetes, knives and wooden boards.

Det. Con. Swainson said he saw Mr. Foster lying on the floor of the clubhouse at the St. George?s stadium after violence engulfed the Friendship Trophy finals.

The officer said the injured man was bleeding from his arms, neck area and lower back.

?I could see he had lacerations to his arms and his lower back area,? added Det. Con. Swainson, who was off-duty at the time but had been watching the game as a spectator.

Ki-Roy Kinta Butterfield, 27, of Cherry Hill Park, Paget; Jahcai Morris, 24, of Sylvan Dell, Paget, and Tahir Nesta Bascome, 22, of Dunscombe Road, Warwick, all deny attempting to murder Mr. Foster on April 4, 2004. The trio have pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Det. Con. Swainson also told the trial he had an ?unobstructed? view when violence erupted.

Describing ugly scenes near one of the goalposts, he said he saw Mr. Foster being attacked by three men. One had a machete, the detective added, and was using it to chop at Mr. Foster, who was lying in the ?foetal position?.

Mr. Foster was later attacked again, the jury heard, with one man chopping him with the machete about three times in various parts of the body.

The prosecution witness told the court Mr. Foster ? who the retrial has already heard has the nickname psycho ? was surrounded yet another time, with Morris slashing at his back.

Butterfield has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted wounding with intent to cause GBH, possessing an offensive weapon and being armed in public to cause terror.

Morris and Bascome both denied possessing an offensive weapon and being armed in public to cause terror.

The trial continues.