Joey Abbs has thanked the public after last weekend’s Football Family Day held at Cambridge United raised thousands of pounds.

Hundreds of football fans flocked to the family day on October 9 organised to raise funds for Joey and his friend Shaun Whiter, who were left with serious leg injuries following a hit-and-run in July.

The total raised is yet to be announced, but Joey has thanked all those who have supported the duo’s cause.

He said: “Firstly, we would like to thank everyone for coming on Sunday. It has been a hard and emotional few months and has been challenging both physically and mentally, but the overwhelming love and support has been fantastic and much appreciated.

“We would like to thank everyone that has donated and all those who sent their best wishes.

“It has been wonderful that we have been supported by the magnificent football family, that we are so proud to be a part of. Having both played football all of our lives, it has given us the opportunity to meet so many people that we now call friends. It was brilliant to see so many on the day and it felt like a massive reunion.

“Thank you to Cambs FA for allowing clubs to call off their games to attend and also for their help and support in helping to organise the day.

“Individually, we would like to thank my wife Harriet and Shaun’s fiancé Charlotte, along with all of our friends and family for your continued love and support. You have all been amazing.

“We would like to thank all the teams for coming and participating as well as all of their support staff for helping to organise the day.

“It is not just the football family that have supported Shaun and I, there have been various different sporting groups and teams which include many of the Cambridge Zumba classes to the Mildenhall speedway. Thank you to them for their support.

“Thank you to everyone that has donated generous prizes for the auction and raffle. A huge thank you to my employers, Mundipharma, for their kind donation towards each ticket sale.

“We would like to thank the media for their continued interest and coverage of our story.

“The support we have both received from the NHS was fantastic. We would like to give a special mention to Peter Hull who operated on both Shaun and I, and we will both be forever grateful.

“Lastly, we would like to give a huge thanks to all the staff of Cambridge United for their help in planning and giving up their time on the day. We would particularly like to thank Jez George for not only organising this fantastic day but supporting Shaun and I from the very beginning through this difficult journey.”