THE Football Association (FA) has appointed a senior lawyer to assist with its review into historical child sex abuse allegations.

Kate Gallafent QC will oversee the internal review which has been set up following a string of allegations by former youth footballers.

Andy Woodward became the first to speak out last week about abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted child abuser Barry Bennell, a former Crewe Alexandra coach.

A former Newcastle United player has also alleged that he was abused in the club's youth system.

The Guardian said the ex-player contacted police to make allegations against George Ormond, a coach in the North-East who was jailed for six years in 2002 for carrying out numerous assaults across a 24-year period.

Northumbria Police is investigating.

On Sunday, the FA said that a "wide-ranging inquiry may be required in time" but said it was supporting police with their investigations and "must ensure we do not do anything to interfere with or jeopardise the criminal process".

It added: "The internal review will look into what information the FA was aware of at the relevant times around the issues that have been raised in the press, what clubs were aware of, and what action was or should have been taken."

Gallafent will make recommendations "to ensure these situations can never be repeated", the FA said.

Newcastle United said it would co-operate with authorities "if or when the club receives further information" and Manchester City said it is reviewing Bennell's links with the club.

Operation Hydrant, which oversees the investigation of allegations of historical child sex abuse within institutions or by people of public prominence, is trying to pinpoint the scale of the alleged abuse.

It has contacted all forces in England and Wales asking them to forward details of the allegations they have received following the recent publicity.

Culture Secretary Karen Bradley urged victims of abuse in sport to contact police, saying "you will be listened to".

She told BBC 5 Live's Pienaar's Politics: "I welcome the FA's announcement that they have just made about employing Kate Gallafent QC to look at this.

"We do need to look at this independently, we do need to make sure that the FA and others who I know take this seriously - I spoke to them last week - get to the bottom of this, understand what happened.

"But to anyone who has been a victim, no matter what sport, no matter what part of life, if you have been a victim of abuse please come forward so we can get that evidence, get that information and we can make sure perpetrators are brought to justice."