Elderly man injured in 'gutless' attack

An elderly man is in hospital with serious head injuries after being bashed by two men in what police have described as a cowardly, spineless and gutless attack in Adelaide.

The 81-year-old, who is a well-known as a can collector in the Semaphore area, suffered extensive head and facial injuries during the attack on the Esplanade late on Sunday night.

"The words that come to my mind are cowardly, spineless, gutless and it's brutal," Superintendent Howard Davies told reporters on Monday.

The victim remains in a serious but stable condition after people who witnessed the assault called emergency services.

Two men, aged 37 and 39, were refused bail to appear in the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday, charged with aggravated assault causing harm.

Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan, who jogs in the area, said he sometimes saw the man looking for cans and bottles.

"It's sickening when you hear something like this happen to someone who's so well-known and so well liked within the community," Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan told ABC radio.