Baby Chloe attends football match in memory of South Shields dad who tragically died of testicular cancer weeks before she was born

Micheal Hall, from The Nook, South Shields, died in May – just two weeks before the birth of his daughter Chloe Grace on what would have been his 28th birthday.

The 27-year-old was in the rare 10% of cancer patients who don’t show any symptoms of the disease until it claims a life.

He had complained of back pain and a bout of sickness a few days earlier but he displayed no symptoms on the day he collapsed at home and was admitted to hospital with a pulmonary embolism.

A day later, his family made the devastating decision to turn off his life support machine.

His friends decided to raise funds through a charity football match for his partner Amy Day, baby daughter Chloe and six-year-old step-daughter Amelia.

The event, on Sunday, September 1, at Harton Welfare sports club in South Shields, will included a raffle to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.

Jordan Maloy, who was one of Michael’s closed friends for 10-years, was among the organisers who decided to pull together the event to raise money for Michael’s family.

He said: “We were having a drink after Michael died - all his friends got together from a little remembrance thing really. One of the lads said we should have a charity match in his honour. We started a group on Facebook and it just escalated from there – people have donated bouncy castles, a candy floss machine, prizes – there’s about 60 of them for the raffle.

“He was my best friend, he had been for about 10 years. I want to thank everybody who has come down, it just shows how well loved Michael was.

“Hopefully if it goes well we’ll do it every year.

“Michael was one of a kind, you’d not get many people like him. Nobody had a bad word to say about him and today shows how well liked he was.”

Despite the odd rain shower dozens of people turned out to show their support and cheer on the players.