Crewe United get ready for charity match with Reds

Pictured with the Irish League Gibson Cup and the Iru Bru League Cup to promote the upcoming friendly match between Crewe United and Cliftonville on the 30th July are: (l-r) Mr Tom McKenna, Chairman of Crewe United; Thomas McKenna, Manager of Crewe United; Tommy Breslin, Manager of Cliftonville and former Crewe United player; the former Mayor of Lisburn, Alderman William Leathem and the former Mayoress, Kathleen Leathem.

All proceeds from the match will be donated to the former Mayor of Lisburn, Alderman William Leathem’s charity Stepping Stones.

Alderman William Leathem said: “Lisburn City Council has worked closely with Crewe United on many initiatives over the years including the ‘Challenge Peace Cup’, which is played between Crewe United and Warrington Town and the launch of the Club’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

“The Club has taken major strides in the past 20 years to provide high quality sporting facilities at Crewe Park and, on the field, has attracted many of the top names in sport and soccer, in particular its association with George Best, who played his last game at Crewe Park.

“Over the past 30 years through events, the Club has raised over £65,000 for various charities and I would like to express my thanks to the team for donating the proceeds of their charity match against Irish Premier League side Clintonville to Stepping Stones.

“This local charity does such sterling work in the community. It provides a practical springboard for young adults with a learning disability or learning difficulty to be equipped with skills which can be transferred into the employment market. It is difficult enough for people to gain employment in the current economic climate and for those persons with a learning disability or learning difficulty, the challenge is all the harder.

“I would again like to reiterate my thanks to both Crewe FC and Cliftonville FC for their dedication and committed involvement with sport, charities, the wider community and for helping to raise donations for this very worthwhile local charity. I am very much looking forward to watching both teams play and I wish our local team Crewe all the very best in this charity match on the 30th July.”

Meanwhile, it will be a return to Crewe Park for Cliftonville manager Tommy Breslin, who began his career with the club.

Breslin joined Crewe as a 16-year-old, and played in the team that won the Irish Junior Cup in the 80s and two Amateur League championships. The match also comes after the Reds played in the Champions League against Celtic.

Looking ahead to the match, Crewe United’s Tom McKenna said: “I hope the Lisburn public support the charity. We are delighted to support the former Mayor’s charity.”

For more information on the match log onto www.creweunited.com