MANGOTSFIELD United Football Club has unveiled a lasting tribute to former player Scott Hendy.
The club has named the new stand built during its recent ground revamp the Scott Hendy Stand, in honour of the former central defender, who played almost 400 times for the club between 1997 and 2011.
A sign was mounted on top of the new stand, opposite the main Ralph Miller stand, in time for the second annual Scott Hendy Memorial Cup match, which took place at the club’s Cossham Street ground on May 18.
Scott, a father of three children, died in March last year, aged 46, following an assault. His killer admitted a manslaughter charge and was later jailed.
Scott had been due to play in a charity match two weeks after his death, which went ahead as a tribute and fundraising event.
This year the Scott Hendy Memorial Cup match was held in aid of Children’s Hospice South West, and raised more than £1,000 for the charity.
One of the organisers, Pete Brown, said: “We announced the naming of the stand after the fixture was played and it was quite emotional for some, with Scott’s family there.
“We see ourselves as a community club and always look to help charities when we can. It was a fantastic day, with many old faces meeting up again and sharing stories, and raising over £1,000 for the Children’s Hospice South West is a massive bonus.”
On the pitch, the Mangotsfield United Legends retained the memorial cup with a 3-1 win over a legends side from local rivals Yate Town, another of Scott’s former clubs, in front of a crowd of nearly 200 supporters.
Mangotsfield’s goals came from Harley Purnell, who scored twice, and Andy Gurney, while Yate’s consolation goal came from Tom Knighton.
The game was marred by injuries to Dean Pendry and Lee Jeffries, after a clash of heads which saw both players taken to hospital, but both were recovering by the evening.