TWO former Saints trainees have waved their anonymity to talk about historic sexual abuse they claim they suffered back in the 1980s.

Dean Radford and Jamie Webb were both teenagers at The Dell, though neither of them progressed to the first team.

Both men went on television tonight to talk about their experiences, but no names were given regarding who they allege abused them.

Radford said he used to travel down from his Bristol home and stay weekend at his alleged abuser's house.

There, he would sit on a settee with the man and another young player.

"I thought it was odd - the settee was not big enough for the three of us," Radford told BBC South Today.

Webb claimed he once stopped his alleged abuser from putting his hand down the player's shorts, and also claimed youngsters were asked to write letters to the man.

"When I look at it now it was grooming," Webb said.

Former Saints manager Dave Merrington - a youth coach at the club back in the 1980s and 1990s - said he had heard rumours at the time.

"They disturbed me," he recalled.

"Once I was dropping a player off and he emotionally broke down ...that disturbed me greatly."

Merrington said he raised concerns with other Saints staff members at the time.

No-one from Saints appeared on the programme, but a statement read out on air said the club would co-operate with any police investigation.

Hampshire are one of 17 British police forces have confirmed they are investigating fresh allegations of historic abuse.

More than 20 players who have come forward to discuss their experiences since former professional Andy Woodward first spoke out a fortnight ago.

"The bravery of the players who have come forward is exceptional - to hear their stories is heartbreaking," said new England manager Gareth Southgate today.

"The important thing is that over the next few weeks we still investigate what has happened and we learn from the past.

"But I must also say that if I'm a parent sending my child to a game over the weekend, I feel we're in a much better place than we were 15 to 20 years ago."

In all, the National Police Chiefs' Council revealed that around 350 victims have come forward to report historic sexual abuse.

And with so many new victims emerging, the need to support them and their families is paramount, which is what a new organisation called the Players Trust is aiming to do.

One of its main backers is former sports minister Richard Caborn, who unsuccessfully tried to get the FA and Professional Footballers' Association to support the idea some years ago.