Paedophile football coach Barry Bennell has been convicted of sexually abusing 11 young players - some of whom said they were molested more than 100 times.

It can now be reported that an additional 86 others have since come forward to say he also attacked them.

Bennell - once described as the 'Jimmy Savile of football' - abused youngsters at his lavish home, at a Butlin's holiday park, in his car or on football tours.

After being convicted of 36 child sex charges earlier this week, a jury at Liverpool Crown Court today found him guilty of seven more charges. He had pleaded guilty to seven additional counts before the trial.

A cheer of 'yes' came from the public gallery where six complainants sat with family members as the final verdicts were read out and some people were in tears.

Bennell, who appeared via videolink from prison, could be seen shaking his head at times and muttering when the guilty verdicts were returned.

Bennell, who worked with Crewe Alexandra, Stoke City and Manchester City in the 1980s and 90s, has previously received three jail sentences for similar offences.

The investigation into Bennell was the largest of its kind ever carried out by Cheshire Police.

The force's Detective Inspector Sarah Oliver said: 'We have interviewed nearly 2,000 people in relation to this investigation since November 2016, we've taken over 500 statements, we've interviewed Barry Bennell 30 times.'

The investigation is still on-going, amid fears Bennell may have scores more victims.

DI Oliver added: 'At its peak there have been 25 detectives allocated to this investigation. We're still running this inquiry with 10 members of staff, both detectives and police staff resources, who are working full time on this inquiry.'

During the trial, the court has heard Bennell compared to the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as he invited boys to his house where he had arcade games, a pool table, videos and exotic pets including a puma and a monkey.

In his closing speech, Nicholas Johnson QC, prosecuting, said: 'We suggest Mr Bennell is a child molester on an industrial scale and that's why he went to these lengths to get so many lads round to his house.'

In transcripts of police interviews which were read in court, Bennell, who has changed his name to Richard Jones, told the police about his grooming process and abuse of boys, but claimed the complainants in the case were 'jumping on the bandwagon' following publicity.

He chose not to appear in the witness box and no evidence was called by the defence.

One of Bennell's victims, who he had pleaded guilty to abusing in 1998, previously told the jury he knew of four men who had been coached by Bennell, including former Wales manager Gary Speed, who had gone on to take their own lives.

But the jury was later told there was no evidence to link their deaths to Bennell.

Jackie Lamb, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said after the verdicts were delivered: 'Barry Bennell is a predatory paedophile who groomed and abused young boys who dreamed of a career in professional football.

'He claimed his accusers were making up stories about him following previous convictions and stories in the media but thanks to the evidence from his victims, the CPS and police were able to build a strong case to expose Bennell's denials as lies.'

She paid  tribute to the victims who had come forward to give evidence, adding: 'I hope this outcome gives them some sense of justice being done after so many years.'

Manipulative paedophile gained the trust of parents and even married one victim's sister adding to his pain

Self-confessed manipulative paedophile Barry Bennell lured his victims in with the promise of a career in football.

The former scout and coach has admitted grooming and abusing young footballers in his care.

But he continued to deny allegations of abuse made by complainants who gave evidence in his trial at Liverpool Crown Court and claimed they were 'jumping on the bandwagon' following publicity about his crimes.

Accused by one complainant of smirking as he watched proceedings via video-link from prison, Bennell shook his head and could be seen speaking at times during the trial, although he could not be heard.

In lengthy police interviews, the 64-year-old denied the claims of his victims, but told officers of his grooming process and attraction to teenage boys.

He described what he found good-looking in a boy as 'nice face, smiled a lot, always laughing, blond hair'.

Describing himself, he said: 'I was a bit full of myself, I always thought I was brilliant.'

Bennell, who changed his name to Richard Jones, had part of his tongue removed due to oral cancer and told detectives he thought the disease, which left him needing to be fed through a tube, was 'karma'.

Over the years Bennell, who chose not to give evidence during his trial, kept pets including a puma and a monkey, as well as dogs such as an Alsatian and a Pyrenean mountain dog.

Groups of boys would stay at his homes, often with two sharing a double bed with him and others in bunk beds, and he would order takeaways and play horror films to scare them.

One complainant told the court: 'Every boy just dreamed of being a footballer, so everybody wanted to please him.'

Bennell admitted to police that he would 'make a point' of meeting the parents of his victims, to gain their trust.

He married the sister of victim Andy Woodward and went on to have two children with her.

Bennell told police he began playing football as a child and moved into coaching at the age of 18, working with Senrab, a team connected to Chelsea, when he was 20 or 21.

Afterwards he moved to the North West and began working with a club connected to Manchester City, before moving to Crewe Alexandra.

He also coached at Butlin's holiday camp for the Daily Express and spent two years as a residential social worker living in a children's home in Derbyshire, before running a number of video shops.

In 1990 he moved to America, later returning and splitting his time between the UK and the USA.

He left Crewe for Stoke City, telling police he had been upset when Crewe Alexandra manager Dario Gradi excluded him from an exhibition of youth team skills at Anfield.

It was in America in 1994 that Bennell was first convicted of abusing a boy and spent three years in prison.

He told police: 'I was thrown in with absolute murderers, rapists, everything and I'd have done anything to get out of there.'

When Bennell did get out of the US prison, he was deported to the UK, where police had launched an investigation into abuse in this country.

The coach went on to serve two jail terms in this country for abuse of 16 boys, before returning to prison following the new allegations in November 2016.