TWO football thugs from Southampton have avoided jail after drunkenly attacking a bus passenger on their way to the Euros.

Lewis Lambert and Lee Sherry, punched and elbowed a man in his 40s while travelling to to the crunch match between England and Wales in Lens on Thursday, a court heard.

It came as a third man from Southampton, 24, was stopped from travelling to France under suspicion of plotting trouble.

Lambert, 27, and Sherry, 28 were travelling on the Ouibus service between London and Paris on Wednesday when the attack took place between Calais and Lille.

Judges handed them suspended sentences, and the pair are set to be deported from France.

A hearing at the Palais de Justice in Lille on Friday heard both men were drunk on the bus and attacked another passenger, a French man in his 40s, after he asked for “a bit of calm”.

Lambert struck the victim twice with his elbow, while Sherry punched the man to the back of the head.

A statement from the victim was read out. in which He said: “The football fans were noisy, disruptive and I told the driver. They began to insult me in English, they were very drunk.”

Shortly after the driver asked the group to remain calm, The victim was struck by a “muscly man” who was – identified as Lambert.

“A second man came behind me and punched me behind the ear,” the statement continued.

The prosecution said both men were three times the legal drink drive limit in France and were arrested as the coach arrived at Lille Europe station.

Both Lambert, a removal man, and Cherry, who is unemployed, denied the charge of violence.

Both men claimed they fell into the passenger and apologised for their actions, and “did not understand why they were arrested”.

Marie-Helene Mandon, representing Sherry, said: “These men have two faults: being English and being football fans.”

She said her client has a hand injury which meant he could not have thrown a punch, and questioned the evidence which the case against him was built on.

She added: “You must drop the charges. There are no elements to condemn him.”

Stephane Bulteau, for Lambert, said there was no trace of injury on the victim.

He added: “There’s a reasonable doubt. These facts are ambiguous.”

But judges found the pair guilty and sentenced them to two months in prison suspended for five years.

Another Southampton man was stopped from travelling to France and is due to appear in court.

The unnamed 24-year-old was one of six due to appear in Folkestone Magistrates’ Court issued with court orders under Section 21A of the Football Spectators Act.

His hearing was adjourned.