Premier League clubs Everton and Ipswich Town have honoured three-year-old Noah Woods, who died this week. A tribute was shown on the big screen before the Everton vs Ipswich Town match, and players wore black armbands in his memory.
Three minutes into the game, which Everton won 1-0, both sets of supporters stood to applaud Noah. Ipswich Town defender Leif Davis donated £2,000 to a fundraising appeal for Noah's family, and captain Dara O'Shea and goalkeeper Christian Walton laid flowers at the playground where Noah went missing.
Noah became separated from a relative on Tuesday afternoon after visiting a playground in Brantham. His body was recovered from a lake on Wednesday afternoon, and Suffolk Police are not treating his death as suspicious. Noah's father, Rhys Woods, shared a message on a community Facebook group, stating, "There are no words to describe the pain of this loss, we are all absolutely heartbroken, Noah was the sweetest and most innocent little boy, with nothing but love to give, and we are going to miss him so very much."
Suffolk Police formally identified the body as Noah on Thursday, subject to confirmation at formal inquest proceedings. Police are continuing inquiries before submitting a file for the coroner. Meanwhile, a fundraising page set up by Good Dads Club has raised over £100,000 from more than 6,000 supporters by Saturday evening.