The sons of a police officer killed in a head-on crash on the A66 have led Manchester United out at Old Trafford for their Premier League clash against Ipswich Town.
Tragic A66 collision claims two officers
PC Matthew Blades, described by the club as a “proud Red,” was killed alongside colleague PC Tom Clough in a head-on crash with a vehicle travelling the wrong way down the A66 at South Bank, in Teesside, last weekend. Middlesbrough FC also paid tribute to the officers and their colleagues at Cleveland Police on Saturday, and United invited Blades’ two sons and his wife to their home match against Ipswich.
The children led the United squad as mascots, with the club expressing “great sadness” at the deaths of the two officers in the matchday programme. United said: “Matthew was a proud Red, a devoted family man and a police officer who dedicated his life to helping others.”
Club pays tribute to devoted family man
“For Matt, some of his happiest times were spent watching United with his boys. His wife Sarah and two children will be at today’s game, with his sons leading out the Reds as mascots.”
An image of Blades with his two sons at Old Trafford featured in the programme, along with a tribute from an unnamed close friend and colleague. “For Matthew, United was a lifelong love, a passion he shared with his family,” the tribute read. “Since Matt’s tragic death there has been an extraordinary outpouring of grief and support. That love has been seen in countless tributes and acts of kindness.
“Today, we remember a fellow Red. A husband. A father. A son. A brother. A friend. A police officer. A man who gave his life in the service of others. Forever our superhero.”
Wider tributes across football
Across the Pennines, match officials at Elland Road for Leeds United’s fixture against Brentford wore black armbands as referee Tony Harrington was a friend of PC Blades. There was a minute’s applause on Saturday in the memory of the two police officers. Pictures of the two men were displayed on screen.
The occupants of the vehicle headed the wrong way down the A66 were Robert Cahill, 23, Jakob Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17. All of them died in the crash.
