Image source, Getty ImagesThe sons of PC Matthew Blades led out Manchester United alongside captain Bruno Fernandes
BySimon StoneChief football news reporter at Old Trafford
The two sons of a police officer killed in a crash on Teesside led out the Manchester United team as mascots for Sunday’s Premier League match against Ipswich at Old Trafford.
PC Matthew Blades, described as a “proud Red” by United, was a regular at Old Trafford.
The club paid tribute to him in Sunday’s match programme, while his widow attended the game with their children.
PC Blades and his colleague PC Tom Clough died in a head-on collision between their police car and a vehicle going the wrong way on the A66 near Middlesbrough early on 22 August. Five people in the other vehicle also died.
United said they learned of the deaths of the two officers “with great sadness”.
“Matthew was a proud Red, a devoted family man and a police officer who dedicated his life to helping others,” said the club, in a tribute in the programme.
At Elland Road, match officials for Leeds United’s Premier League fixture against Brentford on Sunday wore black armbands as referee Tony Harrington was a friend of PC Blades.
On Saturday, there was a minute’s applause in memory of PC Blades and PC Clough before Middlesbrough’s Championship encounter with West Brom at Riverside Stadium. Pictures of the two men were displayed on a screen.
People also gathered to pay tribute at Seaton Carew FC’s game against FC Hartlepool. PC Blades had been a junior football coach at both teams.
Earlier this week, 17 people were arrested in connection with the investigation into the crash, bringing the total number of arrests to 24.
The occupants of the other vehicle, a Passat – Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17, also died.
Image source, PA MediaManchester United described PC Matthew Blades as “a devoted family man and a police officer who dedicated his life to helping others”
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