The Football Association and its clubs should have faced sanctions over the use of feeder teams where paedophiles operated, according to abuse survivor Ian Ackley.

The Sheldon report, published exactly six months ago, looked at historical sexual abuse within professional and grassroots English football between 1970 and 2005.

It noted that child abusers like Barry Bennell and Ted Langford were working for feeder teams that had links to professional clubs like Manchester City, Aston Villa and Leicester.

Ackley said his client list almost doubled following the airing of the BBC's three-part documentary on historic abuse in football, 'Football's Darkest Secret', from March 22.

His clients are men and women, ranging in age from 25 to 72, with some suffering abuse as players but others as coaches and referees.

"We've helped people out of homelessness into secure accommodation, organise benefits and support with debts, help people through the civil landscape," he said.

"It's about the service being client-led – they are the boss and I am the worker, I follow that lead. The notion is 'what does the client want from this, what do they require to heal and move forward?'

"One of the common things that comes out of this is that this notion of closure doesn't really exist, and that it's possibly a word that other people use to make themselves feel better.

"For most survivors it's more about being able to draw a line in the sand, and start looking forwards rather than looking backwards or walking backwards in life."

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