Football fans pay tribute to crash death officers

Rear view of a football team - wearing red strips - standing to attention in front of a bank of stadium seats, with other players to the side. A screen above shows the image of two men.

Image source, PA MediaImage caption,

Images of the officers were displayed on a screen during the applause

ByCatherine Lee and Pamela BilalovaNorth East and Cumbria

Published29 August 2026, 13:31 BST

Updated 16 minutes ago

Football fans and players have paid tribute to two Cleveland Police officers who were killed in a crash on Teesside.

PC Matthew Blades and 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.

There was a minute's applause in their memory ahead of Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion's Championship match at Riverside Stadium, as pictures of the two men were displayed on a screen.

On Friday evening Hartlepool United also held a two-minute silence before their home National League game against Eastleigh.

Middlesbrough FC said in a statement prior to the match: "We are also showing our appreciation for the dedication and hard work of both men, and to Cleveland Police force in protecting and supporting our local community.

"The commitment shown by officers and staff, often in challenging and demanding circumstances, plays a vital role in keeping residents safe and helping people feel secure in their homes, neighbourhoods and local areas."

Pictures of the two officers. Both are smiling. PC Blades, left, has stubble and short fair hair. PC Clough also has stubble and short dark hair.

Image source, Cleveland PoliceImage caption,

PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough were killed in a crash near Middlesbrough last Saturday

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.

A football ball is on the place on the football pitch between two police helmets ahead of Hartlepool United's game against Eastleigh on Friday.

Image source, Mark FletcherImage caption,

Hartlepool United held two minute silence at their game on Friday

Speaking earlier on Radio 4's Today programme, Middlesbrough mayor Chris Cooke said Cleveland Police was doing "extremely well" despite a lack of funding that "they absolutely need".

"They are a police force that has been the hardest hit.

"They've had over 10 per cent reduction in FTE (full-time equivalent) of police officers, while other places have seen over 20 per cent increase, and that isn't fair," he said.

Cooke added police funding should "follow need".

"It cannot just be based on population sizes as it currently is, because that serves no one well," he said.