James Hooton forced out of 'The Match'

Emmerdale star James Hooton has been forced out of The Match following an injury sustained in training on Tuesday morning.

Following an MRI scan on his thigh it emerged that he could take no further part in the Celebrity squad's bid to beat a team of footballing Legends this Sunday.

"It would have been an amazing achievement, but it wasn't to be," said the dejected Hooton after leaving his former teammates behind.

Consequently, fellow midfielder Michael Greco was granted a late reprieve from facing Hooton head-to-head in the public vote. Sam Robertson had earlier been saved from the threat of the axe by his fellow players, polling 11 votes out of a possible 17. Greco and Hooton were favoured by only three players each.

The training ground incident that sealed Hooton's fate was caused be a seemingly innocuous tackle, with the true implications only revealed by the scan. His manager Graham Taylor informed him of the results, which found "severe and deep bruising near to the thigh bone." Taylor added that if the injured midfielder attempted to play on it could cause serious implications for his future physical condition, such as calcification - a condition where calcium builds up in the tissue causing it to harden.

Rather than dwell on his misfortune, Hooton left the remaining celebrities with the following message - "I hope you stuff the Legends this time, because you deserve it."