Scarcely able to digest what he was reading, Eamonn Manners sank back in his chair and shook his head in resigned disbelief. Perhaps more keenly than most, Manners had been waiting with anticipation for the independent review into football's child abuse scandal, particularly Dario Gradi's input.
It was to Gradi, an assistant coach at Chelsea, that his father complained in late 1975 when Manners was assaulted by 6ft 5in club scout Eddie Heath, now exposed as a 'dangerous and prolific child abuser'.
Manners was a 15-year-old Chelsea youth player and by all accounts an outstanding prospect.