THERE were smiles all around as a delighted Al Bangura, sat with club Chairman Graham Simpson and Watford MP Claire Ward on either side of him and faced the media after receiving the uplifting news everyone had been waiting for.

A 'humanitarian story' is how the Chairman described the state of affairs surrounding his case, as a positive verdict was finally reached, granting the Watford midfielder a work permit and thus extending his stay in this country.

Summing it up as a 'very happy and special day' for Watford Football Club, Graham Simpson could not hide his gratitude for all the people that have been there for Bangura throughout the campaign to keep him from returning to Sierra Leone.

He said: "I'd like to thank Claire Ward who has been tremendous in fighting our cause, the Watford fans and fans of football on the whole who have been tremendous, showed their support, The PFA who have advised us and been with us all the way through and very much the media, the press, the radio, everybody who have got hold of this story and helped us gather momentum to move it along."

MP Claire Ward who has been fighting the case all the way through added that the huge level of support from the club and the fans helped enormously in making an impact on the final verdict.

She said: "When we went to Minister Liam Byrne just before Christmas, being able to present him with a petition as Graham and I did of over 4,000 names that we collected just in the matter of about a week, showed him just how much support there was for Al and for his case.

"My email system was virtually in meltdown as a result of the number of emails that we had with people indicating their support for Al."

With the story dominating the last couple of months at the Club, Simpson expressed his relief at the fact that Al can now remain in this country with his family and not have to return to Sierra Leone.

The fantastic news will no doubt delight the Watford players, who Simpson explained were very concerned about Al: "It's a close knit community in the team and I know they were all very supportive for him." He said.

The emphasis on the word 'support' from both Simpson and Ward clearly demonstrated the importance it had on this case, as Simpson continued to praise those who have backed Bangura throughout.

"We had a huge well of support, not just from Watford supporters, but from supporters all over the country that recognised this. In a world where perhaps you don't get that many good news stories, this is a good news story. As a club we're very proud, very grateful and very pleased for Al."

And thinking back to the Plymouth game, Simpson recalls how moved he was by the level of support for Al from the Vicarage Road faithful: "It was fantastic; the chants about being in the family and looking after him came through loud and clear. I think Al himself was very touched, I could certainly see a tear in his eye and understandably so. It was a very, very special day and the fans made that day."