AN annual memorial football match which has raised £20,000 in tribute to a former player saw his family hand over another £1,400 to good causes.

Yorkley 19-year-old Mark Burgess died on Boxing Day 2002 after being attacked by three teenagers on the way home from the Royal Oak pub in Whitecroft, near Lydney.

Ever since then, Yorkley FC have held a Boxing Day match in honour of their former teammate, with the 15th annual match due this December.

His family recently presented the proceeds of the 14th game, with cheques for £700 each, to teachers and pupils at Yorkley Primary School and Yorkley Playgroup.

And they want to make the 15th match on December 26 a landmark game with a specially designed memorial t-shirt.

Yorkley FC chairman Mark Hudson said: “For the last 14 years, every Boxing Day, Yorkley FC have run a memorial game followed by some fundraising which has reached a total of around £20,000 which the family have donated back to various local clubs, charities, and organisations in memory of Mark.

“Yorkley FC will hold the 15th Mark Burgess memorial match on Boxing Day this year and to remember this we are looking to do a memorial t-shirt which has been requested by the family, so we are looking for sponsors for this so we can design a shirt in his memory.

“Steve Turley Builders, who Mark worked for, have already donated towards this and we are looking for other sponsors to enable us to then sell the T-shirts to start the fundraising.

“Anyone interested in having their business logo or names or anything relating to Mark on the shirt please get in touch with me on 01594 841379 so we can get this started.”

Mark, who was deaf, died in Bristol’s Frenchay Hospital after an unprovoked attack by two teenage girls, 18 and 17, and a man, 19, as he walked home from the pub after drinking with workmates.

The trio, from Lydney and Yorkley, who had taunted him in the pub before attacking him on the street, were sent to young offenders’ institutes for a total of nine-and-a-half years after they admitted his manslaughter.

One of the girls’ mothers and another woman were convicted of perverting the cause of justice by cleaning blood off the culprits’ trainers and trying to burn them, while two men admitted the same charge in connection with hiding Mark’s stolen wallet.