GALLERY: Nightingale FC beat Mush United in first game in front of fans at Stratford Town's Arden Garages Stadium

NIGHTINGALE FC’s first-ever match in front of fans could not have gone any better, with the team enjoying a 7-1 victory over Mush United while raising more than £1,000 for charity.

A crowd of around 160 took in the match against Wakefield-based Mush United at the Arden Garages Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Tom Clarke (2), Jason Sanders (2), Jamie Young (2) and Kenny Somner were on target for Nightingale in the 7-1 victory, but it wasn’t the result that mattered.

Nightingale FC are dedicated to raising funds for NHS Charities Together and the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital Charitable Fund, and Sunday’s match raised a welcome sum of £1,250 for those causes.

The four-figure sum brings the overall total raised by Nightingale for the two charities to around £4,500.

Team manager Nick Sanders told the Herald: “From top to bottom the whole day went smoothly.

“We had some really good reports from everyone who attended, which was great to hear.

“We had around 160 fans turn up on Sunday and the atmosphere was just amazing. Mush United were really complimentary about our attention to detail.

“We had the music playing when the teams walked out and had the team sheets announced over the Tannoy – we tried to make it feel like a proper match.

“On the day we raised around £1,400 but once we took out expenses it came down to £1,250, which was really positive.

“We always try to raise as much as we can, but to make over £1,000 was amazing – the support we had was fantastic. Our aim now is to try and get more than 200 fans in at the next game, which we think is more than achievable.”

Nightingale’s next game at the Arden Garages Stadium is against Wolverhampton-based Bushbury Hill on Sunday 20th June (2pm kick-off).

Tickets are available to buy online at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nightingale-fc-vs-bushbury-hill-tickets-158535486909.