Trumpet trouble for Hart

Fans' trumpets are leaving Shrewsbury-born goalkeeper Joe Hart brassed off ahead of this year's World Cup in South Africa, his father said today.

Charlie Hart said his 23-year-old son had found it hard work to communicate with his defenders during Monday's warm-up game against local side Platinum Stars at the Moruleng Stadium in the tiny mining village of Lesetlheng, because of all the noise the vuvuzela instruments were making.

And he has now pleaded with fans to pipe down ahead of England's opening game against the USA in Rustenburg tomorrow.

Mr Hart, who lives in Gains Park, Shrewsbury, said he had spoken to Joe, who plays for Manchester City, on the telephone following the warm-up match.

He said: "The only thing that's driving him mad is the trumpets they are so annoying because they don't stop. Those trumpets on Monday just went on and on and that was in a stadium with 10,000 people, but on Saturday it is a 60,000 capacity."