Nottingham charity match to honour ex-footballer's wife
Published
image captionSamantha Birtles (right) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019
Familiar footballing faces are reuniting on the pitch to raise money for a hospice that cared for the wife of a former Nottingham Forest player.
Samantha Birtles, 56, wife of former Nottingham Forest player Garry, died on Thursday after being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.
The match will involve 50 former footballers including Martin O'Neill, Nigel Clough and Kevin Keegan.
Organisers said they hoped to "celebrate Samantha's life".
The charity match, which will take place at Basford United in Nottingham, had been arranged before Mrs Birtles' death.