CHERRIES boss Eddie Howe has stepped in to save the day after Harry Redknapp was forced to pull out of a charity match.

The AFC Bournemouth manager will now manage a team against Liverpool legend Graeme Souness to help raise cash for the Louis Ross Foundation.

Their competitive spirit is certain to kick in when they lead their teams on to the pitch in memory of 17-year-old Louis, who died in an accident in French ski resort Meribel in December 2015.

The match will take place at Wimborne Town Football Club on Thursday April 27 and will follow a fundraising meal for 80 people, to be held at the club restaurant. It will also include a mini auction.

The foundation was established to help young people in difficulty and has already made donations to organisations including Poole Young Carers, Beaucroft Special School and a charity for the homeless in Boscombe.

One of the most recent donations was to Mosaic, a charity which supports bereaved children, which received £2,066, exactly half the cost of providing accommodation and catering at one of its residential weekends.

The Elizabeth Foundation, which supports profoundly deaf young people, has been given £3,000 and a £400 transport bursary has gone to a 16-year-old boy with complex needs who was unable to fund transport to college.

Stanley’s Hydro House, raising money to fund a hydropool for a six-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, received £1,500.

Louis was on holiday with a friend’s family when tragedy struck on the pre-Christmas trip to Meribel. He was part of a group of seven skiing on a moderate piste when he struck a safety fence and was catapulted over the top. His helmet was broken in the fall and he suffered catastrophic injuries.

Teams for the match will be made up of former schoolmates from Canford School and fellow players from Wimborne and Holt.

Tickets are now available and cost £10 for adults and £5 for under 16s, to include a burger or hot dog.They are available from the foundation website, louisross.org

Louis’ mum, Penny, urged anyone interested to buy tickets before Sunday April 23 so that catering can be organised but stressed people can turn up on the night if they prefer.

She said details about items for auction will be posted on the Louis Ross Foundation Facebook page in advance of the match so more people can bid.