The two sons of a police officer who died in the accident on the A66 led the car outside Manchester United team as mascots for today Premier League match against Ipswich town.
PCs Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38, died along with five young occupants of a VW Passat that was traveling on the wrong side of a dual carriageway in the early hours of Saturday, August 22.
PC Blades was described by United as a ‘proud Red’ as he was a regular at Old Trafford.
In a tribute in their program, the club said: ‘Matthew was a proud Red, a dedicated family man and a police officer who dedicated his life to helping others.’
His widow Sarah attended today’s match with their children, who led the team as mascots in honor of their father.
The oldest child was walked out Bruno Fernandescaptain of Manchester United, while the youngest was led by goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
It followed a minute’s applause in memory of PC Blades and PC Clough yesterday, before Middlesbrough’s Championship meeting with West Brom at the Riverside Stadium.
Mourners also gathered to pay their respects at Seaton Carew FC’s match against FC Hartlepool – with PC Blades, a former junior football coach with both teams.
The two sons of a police officer killed in the A66 crash led the Manchester United team as mascots for today’s Premier League match against Ipswich Town
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes led PC Blades’ eldest child out
The youngest child (right) was run away by goalkeeper Senne Lammens
PC’s Matthew Blades with his two children and a Manchester mascot
PC Blades, 37, was killed when his police vehicle was hit by a Volkswagen Passat traveling the wrong way on the A66 near Middlesbrough
PC Tom Clough, 38, also died in the crash, which happened about 10 seconds after the police chase of the Volkswagen was called off
The club paid a long and moving tribute to PC Blades in their program, saying: ‘It is with great sadness that Manchester United learned of the deaths of PC Matthew Blades and his colleague PC Tom Clough in an accident near Middlesbrough last weekend.
‘For Matt, some of his happiest times were watching United with his boys. His wife Sarah and two children will be at today’s match, while his sons will lead the Reds as mascots.”
They added that a friend and colleague at PC Blades had sent them a tribute, which read: ‘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 is seen in countless tributes and acts of kindness. Today we commemorate a colleague 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 and County Durham have been gripped by a wave of violence since the crash, leaving some residents too intimidated to leave their homes.
Theo Rae, 17, Cole Worthy, 17, Michael Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18, were driving the Passat and were all killed in the impact.
Four of the five youths had previous criminal convictions and are believed to have been linked to another car that rammed into property on the morning of the crash.
The police are investigating whether the wave of violence, including the fatal accident on the A66, is related to organized crime.
Middlesbrough, which has the highest crime rate in England apart from central London, was rocked again when a seven-year-old girl, Valentina Foster, and her aunt, Natalie McDonald, 34, died in a house fire. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Although police have not linked the fire to the accident on the A66, they have not ruled out a link with broader organized crime.
Just 24 hours later, armed police responded to another serious incident in Middlesbrough, with claims of a machete attack that left a man with stab wounds.
Makai Saddington, one of the five people killed in the Volkswagen, posted videos on TikTok of himself being chased by police and awaiting trial for racially abusing and assaulting officers
Jakub Matusiak, another occupant of the car that struck the officers, also posted videos of himself driving recklessly
Close friends Theo Rae (left) and Cole Robert Worthy both died in the crash on Saturday
Michael Robert Cahill was one of five in the VW Passat
Seven more men were later detained as part of a wider operation to disrupt organized crime, bringing the total number of arrests to 24.
The police in Middlesbrough did that five pleas for help ignored by the government before an outbreak of gang violence that led to the fatal A66 crash.
Matt Storey, Cleveland Police and crime commissioner, had written at least seven letters to the government since July 2024, warning that officers were “woefully underfunded” and struggling to protect the public.
Only two received a response, his office said, while more requests for additional support were ignored.
The most recent alert, sent to Andy Burnham last month, said shrinking recruitment “raises concerns about whether help will be there when it is needed most.”
Cleveland police were forced to call in 200 officers from nearby regions after the crash last week.
