Donations roll in to give South Shields NUFC superfan Cliffy the send-off he deserves

Footy fanatic Cliffy Ahmed had been to see Newcastle take on Manchester United last Tuesday and went for a drink in Nine Bar, located behind the Gallowgate End, after the 3-3 draw.

But after leaving the bar to make his way home, the 57–year–old from West Holborn, South Shields, suffered a cardiac arrest and was later found lying close to the Strawberry pub, just yards from his beloved St James’s Park.

He was taken to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary where he died on Wednesday.

Messages of tribute have been flooding in for Cliffy, who travelled across the country watching his team play.

Now family friends Louise Tebble and partner Chris Wood, from Law Top, South Shields, have launched a Just Giving fundraising page to try generate £500 toward’s the fan’s funeral.

Louise, 42, said: “Cliffy had known my partner Chris for years, he was a friend of the family.

“Everyone knew Cliffy, you saw him everywhere. We thought it would be nice if we could raise a bit of cash which would give him the send off he deserves.

“We set it at £500, as we thought we’d keep it simple, not a crazy amount. But already we’ve been blown away by the response we’ve received.

“So many people knew Cliffy and it’s lovely that they want to get involved.”

After launching the page on Sunday 33 people have so far donated £456.

To donate to Cliffy’s fund visit https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/chris-wood-5.