A former professional footballer who exposed himself to a woman on the way to the doctor will receive treatment for his deviant behaviour.

Daniel May, 20, who played for League One side Northampton Town, known as The Cobblers, was convicted at St Albans Crown Court last month of “intentionally exposing himself” in Sheepcot Lane, Watford on the way to the medical centre on Friday, September 5.

May approached the woman - exposing himself over his tracksuit bottoms - before going into the surgery to sign on, having recently moved into his father's address in nearby Rother Close.

During the trial, the woman who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the jury how a man approached her holding an umbrella wearing a pink top and grey tracksuit bottoms with what looked like a "little doll or teddy bear" sticking out of the top of the waistband.

She said: “I was aware of a gentleman walking towards me at about 11am. I was walking with my head down as it was not very nice weather.

“I looked up and thought I could see something sticking out of the waistband of his jogging bottoms.

“Then I looked up again he was much closer, and what I thought was a little doll or little teddy bear was not what I initially thought.

“I realised what I had seen was his genitalia.”

She added: “My initial thought was that his jogging bottoms had slipped down, but on reflecting I realised the whole thing was very staged.”

That same morning May saw a nurse at the Sheepcot Medical Centre for a new patient check, to sign on with the doctor after moving from Northampton.

Records show that after blood and other tests were completed May asked the nurse to inspect a lump on his testicles.

When she explained she was not qualified he asked to see a female doctor as he had “bad experiences” of male doctors in the past.

He told her he was a professional footballer, which she thought strange as he did not come across as a professional footballer.

Peter Shaw, prosecuting, put it to May the request for an intimate examination was to cover himself for what he had done in the street earlier. May denied that was the reason.

May was identified from CCTV in the surgery's foyer and arrested a month later.

In police interview May failed to categorically deny deliberately exposing himself, and an extract was read where he said: “If it was out it must have been out there. I don't know why my penis would be out, but if she [the witness] said it it must be.

“I did not mean to have it out if I did. I left the house and I think my trousers were up properly.”

Mr Shaw said: “In interview you were hedging your bets as to what did happened, because you knew you had indecently exposed yourself in that way.”

“I didn't do it,” replied May.

May said he had been living in Watford for two months, at the time, with his father.

He went to the surgery, which is just round the corner from his home, to sign on with the doctors and while there asked for a lump was worried about to be inspected.

William Saunders, for the defence, asked May, if he had “intentionally exposed” himself on the way to the surgery.

“No I didn't,” said the defendant. “I didn't intentionally expose anything. I was just walking normally to the surgery.”

The jury took just an hour to find May guilty of indecent exposure with intent to cause harassment alarm and distress.

Sentence was adjourned for reports until Friday when Judge Carr imposed a three-year order on May at Wood Green Crown Court.

During that time May will be supervised by probation and must attend a sex offenders' treatment programme.