The father of Brighton and Hove Albion star Adam Virgo was attacked and killed by a burglar at his home, a coroner has ruled.

Bob Virgo, 57, of Ladies Mile, Patcham, who was terminally ill, died two weeks after his attacker and an accomplice forced their way into his bungalow.

Mr Virgo was pushed over and banged his head when the men came in. He had opened the door to them when they called for help through his letter box.

Detective Inspector Michael Jones told an inquest at Brighton Magistrates Court that no suspects had been arrested yet but if they had the police would have asked the Crown Prosecution Service to consider a charge of manslaughter.

DI Jones read out a transcript of the call Mr Virgo made to police after the incident on Wednesday, January 5 this year.

Mr Virgo said: "I've been attacked by two youths in my house. They've been searching for drugs or something silly."

Mr Virgo told police the men repeatedly asked him: "Where's the stash?"

He later told his son Adam Virgo they had picked him up by the collar and pushed him when he said he did not know what they were talking about. He then fell and banged his head on the wall.

DI Jones told the court the unlawful entry and assault seemed to have been a "tragic error" by the two men, who were looking for drugs but had come to the wrong address.

The men entered the house just after 8pm, DI Jones told the hearing, and made Mr Virgo take them on a 40 minute search of his house and garden shed.

Mr Virgo told them he had no drugs and offered them his cash, credit cards and his car keys. The men left the house at about 8.40pm.

Adam Virgo, who last week was voted Albion's player of the season by fans, was one of the first people to speak to his father after the incident.

He stood as a witness and told the hearing his father seemed "scared and upset". He also gathered from his father that the men had repeatedly referred to a stash of "skunk".

Mr Virgo was then taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

The coroner, Miss Veronica Hamilton-Deeley, read a medical report by Dr James Graham confirming that when Mr Virgo arrived at hospital he had a wound on the back of his head that needed stitching and a fracture in his back that could have been caused by his fall.

Once in hospital, Mr Virgo's condition steadily deteriorated and he died on January 18.

Mr Virgo had been in frail health since being diagnosed with liver disease in 1996. He had advanced liver failure and had suffered falls and had a fractured hip.

Pathologist Dr Vesna Djurovic told the court a post mortem showed Mr Virgo's liver failure had exacerbated the effects of his head injury as cirrhosis of the liver makes it harder for blood to clot.

She said he was also suffering from osteoporosis which made his bones more fragile.

However, his head injury had been "an important factor" in his death.

She said a CT scan showed that Mr Virgo had bleeding on the brain under the site of his injury.

She concluded the cause of death was sepsis and multi-organ failure caused by cirrhosis of the liver and the head injury.

Miss Hamilton-Deeley read a letter by Dr John Hartley, a consultant physician at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, saying that Mr Virgo was "on a knife edge" because of his liver condition.

However, referring to Mr Virgo's head injury, he said: "It is hard not to conclude it maybe the trigger for the downward spiral of events that followed."

Miss Hamilton-Deeley, recording a verdict of unlawful killing, said: "I consider that this ordeal to which Mr Virgo was subjected was more than contributory to his death."

Addressing Mr Virgo's friends and family, she added: "I offer all of my condolences. He sounds as though he was a man who you all loved dearly."

Police are still looking for the men involved.

One of the suspects was aged 20-22, 6ft and weighs between 12 and 14 stone. He has short, dark hair and had bruising on his right eye. He wore a duffel coat, blue jeans and white trainers. The second man was aged 18-20 with short, dark hair. He wore a three-quarter length leather jacket.

Mr Virgo heard one man call the other Dave. Witnesses or anyone with information should contact Brighton police on 0845 6070 999.