THE FA YESTERDAY did what every football fan thought impossible and cleared Alan Shearer of any misconduct over putting his boot into Neil Lennon's face, returning a 'non-proven' verdict on England's World Cup captain. The Newcastle striker was asked to appear before the FA to explain his actions and was represented by Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor. A three-man commission at Lancaster Gate heard the evidence of Northern Ireland and Leicester star Lennon before concluding the incident at Filbert Street two weeks was the result of Shearer's "genuine attempt to free himself". Clearly, though, it was Lennon's decision not to give a damning verdict on the country's leading world star that spared the FA having to take the matter further. For while the midfielder reckoned Shearer had been a bit naughty he had also insisted it was past history and that should be forgotten. Shearer welcomed the FA's decision, saying: ''I am delighted to have cleared my name and can now look forward to Saturday's Cup final and the countdown to the World Cup which starts next Monday. I would like to thank the PFA for representing me and Neil Lennon for giving evidence on my behalf. ''I spoke to Gordon Taylor about this matter for the first time after last Sunday's game at Blackburn and was convinced that with his sense of integrity and fairness, he was the right man to put my case. I am pleased to put the record straight and in doing so clear my name. I was always confident that I would.'' Newcastle boss Kenny Dalglish said of the decision: ''It means that Alan's been vindicated. I can't understand why it had to go this far in the first place. But it's done now and out of the road totally and he can concentrate on the Cup final. It proves that the good guy's been vindicated.'' An FA statement read: "Having been charged by the FA with alleged breach of rule 26a 10 on the basis of video evidence, Alan Shearer pleaded not guilty and requested a personal hearing. Gordon Taylor represented Mr Shearer and Neil Lennon was called on as a witness in his defence. Statements were also heard from referee Martin Bodenham and assistant referee Alan Kaye. "The three man FA commission of Geoff Thompson FA vice-chairman, Barry Bright and Ian Stott heard the case and found it not proven. In reaching its decision the commission accepted that the incident was initially caused by Neil Lennon pulling at the shirt of Alan Shearer turning round and trapping his leg. "The commission further accepted that the alleged incident of Alan Shearer swinging out with his left leg was a genuine attempt to free himself." That verdict is good for the cause of Glenn Hoddle's World Cup aspirations but still an amazing verdict by anyone's standard. For while come the start of France 98 every true and loyal English supporter will have long banished the the television pictures of Shearer's boot-in the-face blow, the FA doing so is very different. After all they are meant to rule the game with an even hand across the board, so just what those such as Julian Dicks and Vinny Jones make of it God only knows. It would probably be unprintable anyway!

SIR JOHN: I COULD STAY AS TOON SUPREMO   NEWCASTLE chairman Sir John Hall is considering staying on in charge of the Magpies to fill what he yesterday described as a leadership void . The man who came out of retirement two months ago when his director son Douglas and chairman Freddie Shepherd were forced to resign, admitted the wounds inflicted by the pair's well-publicised trip to Spain had not yet healed. ''I would prefer not to be in charge but if it would give the club stability then maybe, maybe," he said. "I never wanted to come back but there was a void that needed to be filled and, to some extent, there still is. There is still a lot to be done. Sir John went on to suggest that he would take the club back to grass roots in the wake of bad publicity over high charges for tickets, the ongoing ructions over a proposed new stadium and the Shepherd-fuelled row over the cost of replica shirts. He said: We have got to get back to the people. We must never forget it's about football and the people who live their lives through this club. I find it frightening how people live their whole lives around a football team. It's a hell of a responsibility. As a board, sometimes money takes over but we've got to get back to grass roots. The football board needs to relate to the fans. You can divorce yourself too much. The great thing about a plc is that it forces you to run your business as a business. On the other side, it's really all about football and if we ever forget that we're lost.

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