Ex-Chorley player is latest to come forward in football abuse scandal

Former Chorley striker David Eatock is the latest player to claim he was abused by a football coach as a youngster.
David Eatock as a Chorley player in 1997David Eatock as a Chorley player in 1997
David Eatock as a Chorley player in 1997

Eatock, now 40, has waived his anonymity to say he was a victim of sexual abuse during his time at Newcastle United.

“I signed for Newcastle as a really confident boy - and when I left I was a shell,” he said on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire show.

“I’ve spent 20 years wondering why I didn’t do anything.”

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Eatock, now a presonal trainer, came forward after another former Newcastle player, Derek Bell, identified youth team coach George Ormond as a man who had abused him during his time at St James’ Park.

Ormond was jailed for six years in 2002 for a string of offences committted over almost 25 years. He was described in court as “a predatory abuser of young boys.”

Eatock, who was sold to Newcastle as an 18-year-old for £25,000 in 1995, claimed Ormond had abused him twice in the space of two-and-a-half years.

But, like so many other former footballers who have come forward over the past few days, he felt unable to tell anyone ans stayed silent.

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“I was embarrassed,” he said. “I’m not homophobic by any stretch of the imagination, but I was worried that people were going to think I was gay and I must have encouraged it. The culture back then was so tough.

“There was this awful feeling of guilt and shame. I didn’t say anything, but from that moment I lost my confidence. I just went in a shell. It really affected me.”

Eatock finally decided to break his silence after former Crewe Alexandra player Andy Woodward went public in an interview with a newspaper two weeks ago.

“I’m just glad Andy, by speaking out, has given me the strength to do this, because I never would have otherwise.

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“It’s been like a knot in my brain and I’m now trying to pick apart that knot.”

Eatock says he is now having therapy for a number of issues that he links, in part, to his ordeal.

The young striker broke into the Chorley first team as a 17-year-old and a year later was propelled into the professional game when Kevin Keegan signed him for Newcastle on a three-year contract.

But a serious knee injury ended his professional career at the age of 21 before he had made a first team appearance.