A LIVING legacy in memory of a talented young footballer who died suddenly at the age of 20 is closer to reaching its target of £5,000.

Nick McCool, of Greenbrook Close, Bury, collapsed and died during a kickabout with friends in August at the JJB Soccer Stadium in Trafford Park. Despite frantic efforts made by friends to resuscitate him, Nick died at the scene.

Nick, a former Bury College and St Gabriel's RC High School student, was a promising footballer who had just signed for Chorley FC.

His shock death, caused by thickening of the heart muscle, spurred his friends to organise a range of fundraising events to raise £5,000 to have a guide dog named after him and buy a memorial bench for his favourite park.

Nick's dad Ian said: "Nick always said if anything happened he would like to help the guide dogs. His stepfather has gone blind over the last few years and they had a guide dog which Nick loved. It costs £20,000 to train a guide dog but, with £5,000, we can definitely have one named after him."

The bench will be placed in Walkers Field in Clarence Park where the popular teenager and his friends regularly played football together.

The fundraising began with a charity night at Sol Viva Nightclub with pictures and posters of Nick pinned around the Rochdale Road club, where he was a familiar face, along with buckets on the front door to collect donations.

Two football tournaments, including one held at the JJB Stadium where Nick died, have also added to the fundraising total which is already more than £3,000.

Paul Iannaccone, who attended Castle Leisure Centre gym with Nick and regularly socialised at the weekend with him, organised a six-a-side football tournament at Goshen Sports Centre to help raise money for the bench.

Paul (18), of Bolton Road, Bury, said: "It went brilliantly and we raised well over £200. Four teams took part and I decided to organise a tournament because of his love for football; it's all we ever talked about.

"Staff at the gym supported me and I'd like to thank them for all their help."

Nick's family have also been sent a variety of donations, including a signed Australian cricket shirt from the Oval and signed Manchester City and Bolton Wanderers footballs, and are now deciding the best way to use them to raise even more cash.

Ian said: "It is wonderful the amount of money people are raising throuigh all the events, more than we ever could have hoped for."