On Saturday, Luton Town club captain Tom Lockyer, 29, collapsed on the pitch in a contest against Bournemouth and suffered cardiac arrest.

The match was abandoned after players from both teams said they weren’t in the state of mind to continue.

Luton Town confirmed the Welsh footballer was in “stable” condition at the hospital.

Lockyer was responsive before being carried off the pitch on a stretcher, the club said.

WATCH:

“Our medical staff have confirmed that the Hatters captain suffered cardiac arrest on the pitch, but was responsive by the time he was taken off on the stretcher,” Luton Town said in a statement.

“He received further treatment inside the stadium, for which we once again thank the medical teams from both sides,” the statement continued.

“Tom was transferred to hospital, where we can reassure supporters that he is stable and currently undergoing further tests with his family at his bedside,” it added.

Per ESPN:

The score was 1-1 when Lockyer fell to the ground with no other player near him. Players and Luton manager Rob Edwards reacted immediately to get medical attention.

Both sides left the pitch six minutes later.

Lockyer, 29, was carried off on a stretcher to applause from the crowd after the players had gone to the dressing rooms, and the stadium announcer later informed the crowd that the match had been abandoned.

“The Premier League match between Bournemouth and Luton has been abandoned due to a player medical incident,” the Premier League’s official account posted on X.

“Our thoughts are with Tom Lockyer and all players involved in today’s match.”

Luton had earlier issued a separate statement on X, praising the medical staff involved.

“We don’t know the full extent of what happened and what the next steps are at this stage, but we thank Bournemouth and the medical staff on both sides for their immediate response, which was absolutely amazing,” the statement said.

“We are sorry to all supporters present that players from both sides were in no state of mind to continue with the game after seeing their much-loved teammate and friend taken off like that, and staff could not carry on with managing the game in such circumstances having had to deal with the situation.

According to the Daily Mail, it’s the second time this year the club captain collapsed during a match.

Daily Mail reports:

It is the second time this year that Lockyer has collapsed during a game. In May, he was taken to the hospital during Luton’s Championship play-off final win against Coventry but after heart surgery, he was given the ‘all clear’ to return to action in June.

Lockyer’s dad, Steve, posted an Instagram picture that day of his family celebrating Luton’s promotion to the Premier League from his hospital ward.

“The centre-back spent five days in hospital and had an operation to fix an atrial fibrillation,” ESPN noted.

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.


We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.