A MANCHESTER United fan who hurled racist abuse at Potters' striker Kenwyne Jones was fined £200 and banned from football matches for three years.

Howard Hobson, aged 57, shouted from the stands and made monkey noises at Stoke City's Trinidad-born player.

Hobson was in the North Stand at Old Trafford for the game against Stoke on January 31, Trafford Magistrates' Court heard yesterday.

The defendant was asked to explain his actions by JPs after pleading guilty to a single charge of a racially aggravated public order offence.

"I'm not racist," he told the bench.

"I have coloured people in my family and most of my best mates are coloured. I don't know what came over me."

He added: "I'm deeply sorry."

Eileen Rogers, prosecuting, told the court Hobson's behaviour was brought to the attention of club stewards at the match by a witness sitting near the defendant.

"The match started, and, sitting a short distance away, he heard words being uttered," said Ms Rogers.

"During the first half, every time the Stoke City player Kenwyne Jones was tackled, or went down with injury, all of a sudden he heard voices shouting.

"Plus also he was shouting various utterings of 'monkey' towards the player.

"The comments were directed to the Stoke City player Kenwyne Jones, a player who originates from Trinidad."

After the half-time interval, when Hobson returned to his seat, he was spoken to by stewards and taken away and then transferred to a police station in Salford.

Hobson, of Weaver Walk, Openshaw, Manchester, who is not a season ticket holder at Old Trafford, told officers he had come to the match straight from his job as a fork lift truck driver and drank four bottles of beer, but was not drunk.

He admitted making some comments about the Stoke player "in the heat of the moment" and accepted he used certain swear words.

He said he could not remember using other words, including "monkey", but accepted what the witness had reported him as saying.

Rachel Goode, mitigating said the defendant was "extremely embarrassed" by his behaviour.

"He has serious concerns he will lose his job as a result of this," she told the bench.

"He can't really explain his actions on that day.

"It's out of character for him. He has family and friends of mixed race and he's now branded a racist."

Hobson was fined £200 and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.

The football banning order means he is not allowed to enter a football ground in England and Wales for three years or he could be arrested and he must surrender his passport when England play internationals abroad.