Manchester United honoured a police officer killed in a road crash by inviting his two sons to serve as mascots for Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Ipswich at Old Trafford.
PC Matthew Blades, a lifelong United supporter and regular at Old Trafford, was remembered by the club in the match programme as his widow attended the game with their children.
Blades and fellow officer PC Tom Clough died on August 22 after their police vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a car travelling in the wrong direction on the A66 near Middlesbrough. Five occupants of the other vehicle also died.
Manchester United said it learned of the officers’ deaths “with great sadness”.
In a tribute published in the match programme, the club said: “Matthew was a proud Red, a devoted family man and a police officer who dedicated his life to helping others.”
Tributes were also paid elsewhere in English football. Match officials at Leeds United’s Premier League meeting with Brentford wore black armbands in memory of Blades, with referee Tony Harrington having been a friend of the officer.
Middlesbrough also held a minute’s applause before their Championship match against West Brom at Riverside Stadium on Saturday, with images of both officers displayed on the stadium screen.
Further tributes took place at Seaton Carew FC’s fixture against FC Hartlepool, where Blades had previously worked as a junior football coach.
Meanwhile, 17 more people were arrested earlier this week in connection with the crash investigation, taking the total number of arrests to 24.
The five people who died in the other vehicle, a Volkswagen Passat, were identified as Michael Robert Cahill, Jacob Matusiak, Makai Saddington, Theo Rae and Cole Robert Worthy.
