HUNDREDS of people attended the funeral of Folkestone Invicta footballer Paul Sykes who died after collapsing during a Kent Senior Cup semi-final against Margate on April 12.

At the service at Dover, Paul's widow, Carly, read the eulogy to her husband while poems were read by his brothers, Patrick and Peter.

Paul was 28 and married with a baby son. Among the mourners last Friday were Kent County Football Association chief executive Keith Masters and KCFA vice-chairman Colin Boswell. They were joined by ex-Gillingham defender Mark Patterson and current club Player of the Year Danny Spiller.

The Kent County FA have agreed that all proceeds from the Senior Cup final between Folkestone and Margate on Monday, May 2, will be donated to a trust fund set up for Paul's son Thomas.