A JOURNALIST who went undercover to expose football’s slave trade says his task would have been much more difficult without help from Oxford United.

Setting out to investigate the exploitation of children, particularly from Africa, who are lured to Europe with promises of professional football career, Ed Hawkins was drawn into a murky world.

In a bid to understand more for his book The Lost Boys, the 36-year-old set up a bogus scouting company to get closer to rogue agents and middlemen.

As part of the fabrication, Hawkins needed to appear the real deal and turned to United, the club he had supported since a boy growing up in Henley.

Simon Lenagan, then youth and community director at the club, provided a letter claiming the fictional John Hawkins was looking for players on the U’s behalf.

It proved invaluable, according to the author.

He said: “It really did open the door.

“These people thought it was legitimate, that was really important.

“I think it would have been much harder, because you do need something which legitimises you.

“I don’t think I would have been able to go to Africa without it.”

Lenagan’s assistance extended beyond producing a letter.

He attended a meeting alongside Hawkins with a London-based agent, which helped show how the rules on transferring children could be bypassed.

Lenagan, who already knew Hawkins, was happy to help.

He said: “I had quite a vested interest in it because I care passionately about the right way of doing things, in particular the development of young footballers.

“Because Ed was doing it for the right reasons I thought it was a relatively small risk which was worth taking.”

In helping to shine a light on a disturbing situation, United are one of the few organisations to emerge with any credit.

Their role also extended to chief executive Mark Ashton and assistant head coach Chris Allen returning at the end of the book, giving a trial and offering much-needed advice to one boy who had been abandoned.

The Lost Boys: Inside Football’s Slave Trade, Bloomsbury, £18.99 hardback.