Man Utd followers ‘in tears’ at tribute to cop killed in wrong-way crash earlier than Ipswich conflict
Manchester United paid a touching tribute to PC Matthew Blades – who was killed in the A66 crash last Saturday – with his two sons leading out the Red Devils
PC Matthew Blades’ two sons were mascots on Sunday
Manchester United have paid a touching tribute to one of the police officers who was killed in the A66 crash, earlier this month.
PC Matthew Blades was one of two police officers who were killed in a head-on collision with five “joyriders” on the A66 near Middlesbrough. Blades and his sons were regulars at Old Trafford and frequently pictured at the stadium.
And ahead of their opening home match of the season, Blades’ two young sons Max, eight, and Lucas, six, lead out the Red Devils. A statement from United said it learned of the deaths of the two officers “with great sadness”.
PC Matthew Blades was a regular at Old Trafford(Image: Facebook)
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“Great that they can be mascots; their dad would be so proud,” one fan shared on social media.
“Great touch by my club but I’m sure they’d rather not be doing it in those circumstances. Let’s give those boys a massive cheer,” a second said. As a third posted: “The club gets things bang on with things like this!”
And another added: “Wonderful gesture from the club. Hopefully there will also be a minute silence observed to pay our respect to such positive members of society. A tragic loss.”
PC Matthew Blades was killed last weekend(Image: Facebook)
Blades’ widow, Sarah, is also due to be at Old Trafford for the match.
A close friend of Blades said: “For Matthew, United was a lifelong love, a passion he shared with his family. 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!”
Blades and PC Tom Clough were killed last Saturday after colliding with the VW Passat on the A66. Michael Cahill, Jakub Matusiak, both 23, Makai Saddington, 18, and 17-year-olds Cole Worthy and Theo Rae were also killed.
