MANCHESTER United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has come to the aid of a 12-year-old Teignmouth footie fan who was involved in a car accident last month. Matthew Long has spent weeks in intensive care after the accident in Exeter Road in December. Schoolmates at Teignmouth Community College rallied round and raised more than £400 to send Matthew on a trip of a lifetime to Old Trafford. The youngsters on the Year 8 council put their thinking caps on and contacted Sir Alex for help. Classmates were delighted when he wrote back to offer two complimentary tickets to watch a game played by big name footie stars Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo later this year. Teacher Roger Davies said: 'It is not just a case of buying a ticket for Old Trafford, they are like gold dust, so the secretary of the council, Lauren Chamberlain, was asked to write to Sir Alex Ferguson asking for his help getting a ticket. 'In the meantime, the council set about raising money for the trip. They collected money at the school Christmas Concert and the students of Matthew's form went round one registration time and collected more. These efforts, together with some individual donations, raised nearly £400. 'To our delight, Manchester United have offered Matthew two complimentary tickets to a match later this year. 'This news definitely helped his recovery. Matthew is now well on the way to returning to full fitness and is looking forward to his trip to Old Trafford,' he said.