THE signed Tommy Smith shirt that was auctioned by Ipswich Town recently raised �541 for the New Zealand Earthquake Appeal.

THE signed Tommy Smith shirt that was auctioned by Ipswich Town recently raised �541 for the New Zealand Earthquake Appeal.

Two friends of Phil Coppeard, the Town fan who tragically lost his life in last month’s New Zealand earthquake, made the winning bid for the signed Town shirt, which was auctioned by the Football Club to raise money for The New Zealand Earthquake Appeal.

The two friends, Max Pentelow and Tim Evans, have decided to give the shirt to Phil’s wife Suzanne.

“Phil Coppeard was a good friend of mine for 15 years. Another friend of Phil’s, Tim Evans, and I decided to club together to get the shirt to give to Phil’s wife in his memory,” said Max.

The player shirt was donated by Town defender and New Zealand International Tommy Smith and was signed by the entire Ipswich Town first team squad.

“I was so pleased when I heard how much the shirt had raised and it’s nice to know the money is going to help those affected by the disaster,” said Tommy, who today signed on loan for Colchester United until the end of the season.

Proceeds from the auction are going to the Red Cross NZ Earthquake appeal. Go to www.redcross.org.uk if you’d like to make a donation.