Barks would be proud

CHARITY MATCH FOR BARKS RAISES £12,000

By CHRIS DUNLAVY

PRIDE: Richie Barker with family members and after the match, inset

PICTURE: Nicky Hayes

IN MEMORY: Chris Barker was a legend at Southend United

A match to commemorate Southend United legend Chris Barker has raised over £12,000 for charity.

Barker, who made 133 appearances for the Shrimpers, was 39 when he took his own life in January 2020.

Plans for a fundraiser that summer were postponed following the outbreak of Covid-19, but last weekend a galaxy of former Southend stars finally turned out at Roots Hall to pay tribute to the popular defender.

A crowd of more than 2,000 turned up to watch a Southend XI featuring the likes of Cameron Belford, Sean Clohessy,

Graham Coughlan, Anthony Straker, Barry Corr and Bilel Mohsni.

Special

Their opponents, made up of Barker’s colleagues from other clubs, were managed by Chris’ brother and current Rotherham No.2 Richie, who opened the scoring in an entertaining 4-3 victory.

Barker’s nephew Charlie, a first-year pro at Charlton Athletic, also featured, whilst they were watched by his 16-yearold daughter Demi, with all proceeds going to the mental health charity Mind.

Addressing the crowd after the game, Richie said:

“Thank you so much. We’ve had a great day and it’s been nice to see how much Chris meant to people here at Southend too.

“This was obviously a very special club to him as captain and to lead the team out at Wembley meant the world to him.”

The match was organised by Chris Phillips, the chief reporter for the Southend Echo.

“There were many reasons why we wanted to put the game on,” he said. “The main one was to remember Chris and to show his family just how much he meant to everyone here. We also wanted to raise funds for Mind and to encourage anyone else who might be struggling to speak out.

ON TARGET: Barry Corr opens the scoring for the Southend United XI in the Chris Barker Memorial match

“I’d like to think we ticked all of those boxes and it was a very emotional but enjoyable afternoon.

Honour

“Footballers often get a bad name but I cannot speak highly enough of every one of them who turned up to play.

“You had players coming from all over, including abroad, while Mark Cousins missed Bromley’s open top bus parade for winning the FA Trophy to play.

“We also had five youngsters Chris coached at Forest Green and I cannot speak highly enough of them either. I hope we did Chris

proud but he will always be in our thoughts, as will his family.”

Mohsni, who succeeded Barker as Southend skipper, flew in from Paris to feature in the game and said it was an “honour” to be back at Roots Hall.

“It’s a sad reason to be back but I enjoyed seeing everybody again,” said the 34-year-old, who spent three years playing alongside Barker with the Shrimpers.

“Chris Barker was a great captain so it was my honour to come back and play. It was great to see all the fans here.”

Shirts from the game are currently available on Ebay. The auction ends on Monday June 6.

To Donate, visit: https://www. justgiving.com/fundraising/ amatchforbarks