New research in the British Journal of Sports Medicine shows that players are particularly susceptible to injury towards the end of both halves of matches and at specific points during the season.

The Football Association (FA) is now hoping to use the evidence to help pin point areas of research and where players, medics and club managers need educating.

Training injuries were found to peak in July, with match injuries reaching their height in August during the first month of competitive play.

Researchers, including some from the FA, found that this could be because players might not yet have reached their optimal levels of fitness.

And they called for changes in pre-season training and better fitness maintenance levels during the closed season.

Vital research

Alan Hodson, Head of Sports Medicine at the Football Association, said the research is vital to improve the health and playing ability of footballers.

"If players are not playing the morale of the team goes down and the performance of the team will probably go down.

"The asset of the clubs are the players.

Mr Hodson said detailed research like this will help people decide where and when to target their resources.

"If we are going to spend more money on research then we want to know where the problems are. We can start to ask questions and answer them," he said.

Mr Hodson said that at any one time 10% of a squad could be out injured and that this is costing football over �40 million a year.

Medical staff at 91 professional clubs in England looked at the number and type of injuries sustained by their players between July 1997-May 1999.