St Mirren captain 'mortified' as prank goes badly wrong

St Mirren's Steven Thompson salutes his side's fans at the final whistle against Celtic after their Scottish League Cup semi final soccer match at Hampden Park Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland January 27, 2013. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/Files

LONDON (Reuters) - St Mirren captain Steven Thompson was "mortified" after a foolish prank during a training session left a team mate with a gaping wound. Thompson threw a spiked pole at 20-year-old John McGinn after he robbed him of the ball and it struck him on the thigh, causing severe bleeding. "I'm just mortified by the whole thing," Thompson told the Scottish Sun on Monday. "It was a daft prank. It wasn't like I threw the pole out of anger or anything like that. That's not what happened." McGinn missed the 4-1 Premier League victory over Kilmarnock on Saturday and Thompson plans to make amends by giving him his win bonus. (Reporting by Ed Osmond; Editing by Ken Ferris)