Boothroyd backs Bangura's battle to stay and play

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The 19-year-old faced an asylum tribunal in west London and was forced to divulge the extraordinary details of a young life in which becoming a professional footballer is just one remarkable chapter. He will discover in the next 28 days whether his application to remain in this country has been successful.

Uncertainty: Bangura with Boothroyd after the hearing

Bangura's father was a member of a secret society in Freetown, the Sierra Leone capital, whose customs bordered on the barbaric. When his father died, Alhassan was expected to assume his place in the society. When he refused, he was threatened with mutilation and was forced to flee across the border to Guinea.

He was taken in by a Frenchman who brought him to Britain but then betrayed the teenager by trying to force him into prostitution.

Bangura's discretionary leave to remain in this country has now run out and yesterday he received support from several members of Watford's staff, including boss Aidy Boothroyd, who told the court that the player's career would be over if he was forced to return to his homeland, stating that it would be akin to making Frank Sinatra sing at a working men's club in Batley.

Boothroyd said: 'It would be a disaster for him professionally. He'd go there and never be heard of again.'

Bangura was spotted by the Championship leaders playing for Chertsey Town juniors in a local park and offered a traineeship. His progress this season has been halted by a dislocated ankle.