THE memory of a man who coached a highly successful junior football team in Hatwhistle in the 1990s has been celebrated by his former players to the tune of £4,600.

Members of the trophy-winning team reformed for the first time in two decades for a special charity match to honour Alan Thompson, who lost his battle with cancer last month, aged 62.

The £4,600 raised was donated to the league of friends at Haltwhistle Memorial Hospital, where Alan spent his final weeks.

His son Lee (38) was joined on the field by other members of the team Alan coached from 1990 to 1996, including Paul “Dolly” Boertien, who went on to play for Carlisle United and Derby County.

The match, against Haltwhistle Jubes, the town’s present day kings of Sunday league, was attended by 250 onlookers at the Old School Playing Field.

Lee scored a last-minute consolation penalty in a heavy defeat for the reformed side, which was tutored by Alan at under-12, U14, and U16 level, alongside fellow coach Alan Hall.

He said: “The score didn‘t matter. The old team hasn’t played together for almost 20 years and the lads travelled from far and wide to make it for this one special day.

”Some of them have families now, and maybe the fitness levels aren’t quite what they used to be, but they all said it was a privilege to play in dad’s memory.

“We used to give the ball to Paul, and he would dribble around the opposition, but this time around he was nursing an injury and had to spend some of the time in goal.”

Alan was a pillar of the Haltwhistle community. For around 45 years, he was the proprietor of R. Thompson & Son, the family butcher’s business in Westgate, which was established by his grandfather.

Lee added: “The business was a six-day-a-week job. He was a hard working man and he really loved being involved with the football on a Sunday.

“It says a lot about him that so many of the old team turned out – all wearing shirts with ‘Thompson 62’ on the back.

“We were taken aback by the number of spectators, and also the generous support of local people and businesses in helping to raise so much money.

“I can’t express enough how thankful we are. The raffle prizes and donations just snowballed once we set up a Facebook page.”

It is hoped the cash will go towards beds for the family members of critically ill patients, who wish to stay overnight at the hospital.

Lee added: “We feel as though the beds would really be of benefit.

“I can’t speak highly enough of the hospital and the level of care provided there. In a bigger organisation, you might just be a number, but they made things as comfortable as possible for dad and the family.”

After recovering from the football match, Lee was back on the fundraising trail last weekend when he took part in the 26-mile Hadrian‘s Wall Mighty Hike.

Walking alongside Dean Hall and Darren Tully, the trio raised £2,700, which will go towards Macmillan Cancer Support.