The wife of an Oxford club steward has spoken of the moment she saw a gang of youths kick her husband unconscious on a sports field.

Marilyn Parrott asked the Oxford Mail to publish the shocking picture on today's front page in a bid to get people to come forward with information.

Her husband Chris, 50, steward of the Morris Motors Athletic and Social Club, in Cowley, was attacked by eight youths -- some aged as young as 14 -- last Thursday afternoon, after asking them to stop swinging on goalposts at the club's sports field.

Mr Parrott suffered fractures to his jaw, cheekbone and eye socket and lost three front teeth. He is recovering following surgery at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

Mrs Parrott, 51, took a series of pictures of her husband as he lay in his hospital bed and asked us to publish them. Some were deemed too graphic for publication.

She wept as she recalled the attack: "I was out walking our dog and Chris had gone to talk to these lads.

"I was on the far side of the sports field when I saw them push him to the ground and all eight of them were just kicking him.

"I could see it was all from the shoulders upwards. They must have been aiming for his head and he was left unconscious.

"I had my mobile phone with me and called the police and began running to where Chris was curled up on the ground.

"As I got near to them, four of them ran towards nearby garden fences and climbed over and the others just ran off.

"They were laughing as they ran and the officer in the police control room told me they heard the laughter over the phone.

"By the time I reached Chris his whole head and face were covered in blood and he was totally out of it. "He spat a tooth into my hand and he will need dental work when the surgery is finished.

"I witnessed the whole thing but I was powerless to prevent it. This has left me a nervous wreck.

"I hope this photo gets people to come forward, because we want these people punished, even the youngest ones."

Mr Parrott, who was too ill to talk to the Oxford Mail, has had five permanent plates inserted in his face to help his eye socket, cheekbone and jaw bone to heal. He is in a stable condition.

Last November, the couple received commendations from Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Peter Neyroud following an incident the previous year when they tackled an armed intruder at the club.

Mr Parrott wrestled Stephen Thompson, 20, to the ground while his wife smashed a table over his head.

Thompson, of Friar's Wharf, south Oxford, was jailed for six years after admitting robbery and possession of a firearm.

Mrs Parrott added: "I feel like this is the job from hell and Chris is not sure at the moment whether he will be able to carry on. He could still face more surgery.

"We were about to fly out to Denmark to spend the weekend with my daughter and two-grandchildren, but we had to cancel when the attack happened.

"Chris has been given morphine and he will have to have his food through a tube. I want the Oxford Mail to publish these photos because it could prompt people to come forward."

Mrs Parrott said the club's committee was "very supportive" and had offered a £1,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the gang.

Police have released descriptions of two men they are seeking in connection with the attack.

The first youth is described as Asian. He was wearing beige jeans and a red football top. The second youth was white and 6ft tall. He was wearing black tracksuit bottoms and a navy hooded top, with the word Barrett on the back.