Luton Town release Tom Lockyer update as Hatters captain taken to hospital
Pictures from Bournemouth v Luton Town
Luton Town have released a statement after their captain Tom Lockyer collapsed on the pitch against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon. The match was consequently abandoned, with the defender stretchered off of the pitch after being tended to by both sides’ medical teams.
Lockyer fell to the floor against Bournemouth early in the second half, prompting paramedics to rush to the scene and take the defender to hospital. Luton manager Rob Edwards was among those to run onto the pitch and offer his support, urging players to move away before breaking into tears whilst applauding the crowd for their applause and continued chants of encouragement during difficult circumstances.
It soon emerged that the Premier League had suspended the match, with Luton Town releasing a statement apologising to travelling supporters and providing an update on the condition of Lockyer – with the reason for the Hatters skipper’s collapse unclear at present.
Their statement read: “We all hope and pray for our leader and captain Tom Lockyer, who is thankfully responsive and has been taken to hospital.
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“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.
“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 team-mate 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.
“We thank everyone for the wonderful applause and singing of Locks’ name inside the stadium at such a difficult time. Now is the time for all of our players, staff and supporters to come together as we always do and give our love and support to Tom and his family. Our thoughts are with him and them all.”
Lockyer collapsed in the Championship play-off final last season which prompted him to undergo heart surgery after he suffered an atrial fibrillation, which can cause an irregular or abnormally fast heart rate, but he was given the green light to return to playing professional football after his side’s promotion to the Premier League.
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