MEMBERS of the non-league football family will gather today to pay their respects to Dave Turner, the manager of Shrivenham who died earlier this month.

His funeral is set to take place this afternoon and is expected to be well attended by members and management from other teams in the area.

The popular manager, who also ran Wootton Bassett and Pewsey Vale, was just 52 when he suffered a fatal heart attack on February 4.

Sam Collier, 27, played for Dave with Bassett and then Shrivenham. He is a close family friend and will be helping to carry the coffin this afternoon.

Sam said: “We are going to try to make it as much of a celebration as we possibly can because I’ve known Dave for a long time and whenever there was an opportunity to have a celebration he would. He wouldn’t want people to be in mourning.

“It’s going to be tough for everybody but we are all there for his family because they are the nicest family you would ever wish to meet. Once the funeral is over we will go to the football club and stay there for as long as possible and celebrate his life.

“I’m sure there will be a massive turnout for it and that will prove just how highly thought of Dave was because he was a lovely guy.”

The funeral will take place today at Wroughton Parish Church at 1.30pm which will then be followed by a cremation for family members only.

Later in the afternoon friends can join them in the Swindon Town Legends Bar to celebrate Dave’s life. As the occasion is a celebration of Dave’s life mourners are asked to wear clothes they feel will truly reflect this.

The family have asked for no flowers, but those who wish to make a donation in Dave’s memory can do so, to Swindon Town Football in The Community through Co-op Funeral Care on Cricklade Road.