Two sons of ‘proud Red’ cop killed in A66 crash to lead out Man Utd team at Old Trafford as club pays moving tribute

THE two sons of a police officer killed in a horror wrong-way crash will lead out the Manchester United team as mascots this afternoon. PC Matthew Blades and his boys were regulars at Old Trafford, with the club paying tribute to the heroic officer in the matchday programme ahead of Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Ipswich Town. PC Blades with one of his children at a Manchester United match Credit: Facebook Former United manager Ruben Amorim with PC Blades and his son Credit: Facebook PC Blades, 37, and his colleague Iraq war veteran PC Tom Clough, 38, were smashed into head-on by five “joyriders” on the A66 near Middlesbrough in the early hours of last Saturday – with all seven people killed. PC Blades’ brave sons, Max, eight, and six-year-old Lucas will lead out the Red Devils. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The footie-mad boys share their dad’s love of United and were frequently pictured with him watching their heroes live. The club said it learned of the deaths of the two officers “with great sadness”. PC Blades and PC Tom Clough were displayed on a screen at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium on Saturday Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Floral tributes to the two police officers on the A66Credit: Refer to source The tribute continued: “Matthew was a proud Red, a devoted family man and a police officer who dedicated his life to helping others.” On Saturday there was a minute’s applause in memory of both policemen before Middlesbrough‘s Championship clash with West Bromwich Albion at the Riverside Stadium. Photos of both were displayed on a screen. PC Blades’ distraught widow, Sarah, is due to be in the crowd to watch their sons fulfil a dream in the most tragic of circumstances. Most read in The Sun A close friend and colleague of PC 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!” Firearms officers PC Blades and PC Clough were killed after colliding with the VW Passat on the A66 in the early hours of last Saturday. The five in the Passat – Michael Cahill, Jakub Matusiak, both 23, Makai Saddington, 18, and 17-year-olds Cole Worthy and Theo Rae – also died. The gang drove towards oncoming traffic in a bid to shake-off police during a high-speed chase. Cops abandoned the seven minute pursuit as soon as they entered the dual carriageway, but 10 seconds later at 3.39am they smashed into the the armed response unit being driven by PC Blades and PC Clough.