STANLEY cup hero Andy Gouck has been banned from driving after his BMW narrowly missed colliding head-on with a police car while he was over the limit.

The Reds' midfielder, who scored a match-winning 30-yard volley in the last minute of their FA Cup victory over Huddersfield, lost his licence for 12 months after appearing before Blackburn magistrates last week. He was also fined £300 with £60 costs.

His defence team had argued the ban could end his career at Stanley, although Gouck came on as a substitute in Saturday's match against Telford and was also on the bench at Chester on Tuesday. The 31-year-old former Blackpool player, who was twice the legal limit at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

Prosecutor Wendy Lloyd said that on Monday 17 November, at 10.50pm, a police officer was driving along Whitegate Drive, Blackpool, when he saw Gouck's black BMW on the wrong side of the centre line headed directly towards him. The prosecutor said: "The officer braked hard and took evasive action. He then turned his vehicle round and followed the defendant to Glen Street where the BMW stopped."

A breath test showed 69 milligrams of alcohol in the defendant's body - 35 is the legal limit.

Steven Townley, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, had acted completely out of character that night. The defence said: "The loss of his licence will impact heavily on his professional and personal life. In addition to his position as a semi-professional footballer with Accrington Stanley, Gouck works as a social worker. He used his car to drive to games round the country and to go to at least two nights training a week."

Mr Townley added: "He does not know if he is going to be able to carry on with this without his licence. No other players from Accrington Stanley live near him in this area."

The night he was arrested Gouck had gone to the resort's No 4 pub for a quick drink with a woman friend. The defence said: "He drank more than he intended. For reasons he cannot explain he took the decision to drive his car. He was dropping the friend off when the police saw him."

Gouck, a father-of-one of St Mary's Close, Blackpool, told magistrates: "I do feel ashamed. It was out of character. I am regretful."

An Accrington Stanley spokesman said: "This matter has been dealt with by the police and the courts. As long as Andy can continue to attend matches and training sessions, then we will not be taking any further action."