Sons of PC killed in A66 crash lead out Manchester United as Old Trafford pays tribute

The sons of PC Matthew Blades, a Manchester United supporter killed in a head-on crash on the A66 last week, led the United squad out at Old Trafford as mascots for the club’s Premier League fixture against Ipswich Town.

Blades, described by the club as a “proud Red,” died alongside colleague PC Tom Clough after a vehicle travelling the wrong way down the A66 at South Bank, Teesside, struck their car. His wife Sarah and two sons attended the match as guests of the club, with the boys walking out alongside the United players in a tribute arranged by the club.

In the matchday programme, United expressed “great sadness” at the deaths of the two officers. “Matthew was a proud Red, a devoted family man and a police officer who dedicated his life to helping others,” the club wrote. “For Matt, some of his happiest times were spent watching United with his boys.”

A tribute from an unnamed close friend and colleague, also published in the programme alongside a photograph of Blades and his sons at Old Trafford, described an overwhelming public response to his death. “Since Matt’s tragic death there has been an extraordinary outpouring of grief and support,” it read. “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.”

Middlesbrough FC had already paid tribute to Blades and Clough, and their colleagues at Cleveland Police, at their own fixture on Saturday.

The tributes extended beyond Old Trafford. At Elland Road, match officials for Leeds United’s game against Brentford wore black armbands — referee Tony Harrington was a personal friend of PC Blades — and a minute’s applause was held in memory of both officers, with images of the two men shown on screen.

The five occupants of the vehicle that struck the officers’ car — Robert Cahill, 23, Jakob Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17 — also died in the collision.