A MEMORIAL football match paid tribute to three members of a family who died in a motorway crash.

A capacity crowd packed into Ledbury Town's ground to see the team battle against a Manchester United reserve team in memory of Martin McCoig-Lees, his wife Denise and their youngest son Ryan, aged nine.

The three United fans died when the minibus in which they were travelling was in collision with a car on Thursday, July 11, on the M56 just outside Manchester.

Their vehicle then hit the central reservation.

The family was on their way to Manchester Airport from where they were due to fly to Florida for a holiday.

Their other son, Richard, survived the crash, and with his brother Matthew, uncles, grandparents and friends, were among more than 1,400 fans who braved the cold for last night's game.

The crowd observed a minute's silence in respectful remembrance of the seven crash victims.

Once the game began, Ledbury put on a spirited display. In a first half where both teams crashed shots against the crossbar, Town's keeper Adam Penney pulled off a string of saves in an entertaining match.

However, the battling underdogs eventually lost 4-2.

There were no star players on the Manchester United side, but the match raised around £10,000.

Matthew McCoig-Lees, who is a Manchester United season ticket holder, said the loss of his family had been extremely painful.

But he said the support of the whole town towards his family had been tremendous, and that money raised will go to Ledbury Cottage Hospital and St Michael's Hospice near Hereford.

"The accident is hard to get over and it is something I think about everyday. But it is just a case of getting on with life," said Mr McCoig-Lees.

"Most of the people at this football evening are from Ledbury, so we wanted to show out thanks for their support by putting the money raised back into the community."

Ledbury chairman Chris Stephens said: "It was a massive game for the club, a fitting tribute to the family and nice of Manchester United to spare the trouble to come down," he said.