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Football match honours 18-year-old stabbing victim

BBC A young man smiling wearing a white shirt and a blue tie. He is sitting in front of a green bush. He has brown hair.BBC
Henry Nowak, 18, was fatally stabbed on a night out in Southampton
Jamie Morrisand
Stuart Rust,South of England

A charity football match honouring the memory of an 18-year-old student who was stabbed to death on a night out has been played in Hampshire.

Henry Nowak, 18, from Chafford Hundred in Essex, had been just a few months into his first year at university when he was stabbed in Belmont Road, Southampton, while out with team mates on 3 December.

The game between two clubs Henry played for - University of Southampton Football Club and Villarrealgorithm CF (University of Southampton's Maths football team) - was held at The Snows Stadium in Totton on Sunday.

Henry's father Mark Nowak said it was a day "about love, about football and about celebrating the life of Henry".

A large group of football players pose for a picture in a car park. In front of the group are several people in smart clothing and a woman in jeans and an Arsenal football shirt. Henry Nowak's dad Mark waves at the camera.
Southampton University Football Club and Villarrealgorithm CF went head to head to honour the memory of Henry Nowak

The captain of Southampton University FC, Robin Dyson, said: "Henry was just one of those people that you always wanted to be around.

"He was so much fun.

"When he turned up everyone would almost celebrate like they'd just scored a goal," he said.

"His character was contagious and he loved football."

Robin Dyson, a young man with slightly curly ginger hair, is pictured smiling at the camera. He is stood in front of an empty football pitch.
Team mate Robin Dyson said Henry was the kind of person you "always wanted to be around"

The match raised funds for bereavement support charity 2Wish.

The charity - which helps those affected by the sudden death of a child or young adult - has been providing support to Henry's immediate family.

A fundraising page for 2Wish set up following Henry's death has raised more than £9,000.

Mark Nowak, a man with dark hair and glasses, is pictured looking into the camera. He is wearing a black, collared jacket. He is stood in a football ground, with seating visible in the background.
Mark Nowak said the loss of his son Henry had left a "very very big hole" in the family

Henry's father said being woken in the middle of the night by police and told his son had been killed had "broken the whole family apart".

"Henry has left a very very big hole in our family. As we're here on the eve of what would have been his 19th birthday, we never thought we'd be celebrating it like this."

He said the game - held by players who had only known Henry for a couple of months - was testament to his son's character.

Vickrum Digwa, 22, of St Denys Road, is due to appear at Southampton Crown Court on 12 May charged with murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place.

Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, 52, also of St Denys Road, has been charged with assisting an offender.

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