Luton Town Captain Tom Lockyer Stable in Hospital After Suffering Cardiac Arrest On Pitch
Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer is currently stable in hospital after he suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch during their Premier League game against Bournemouth. Lockyer, 29, went down in the 59th minute of the game and received medical attention before being taken off on a stretcher.
Referee Simon Hooper then led both teams off the pitch at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium, with the game abandoned shortly after. Luton later confirmed that Lockyer had suffered a cardiac arrest while on the pitch, but was responsive when taken off on a stretcher.
The club added that Lockyer received further treatment inside the stadium before being transferred to hospital, where he is currently stable. The statement also mentioned that Lockyer will undergo further assessments and is with his family.
“We all hope and pray for our leader and captain Tom Lockyer, who is thankfully responsive and has been taken to hospital,” a Luton statement read. “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.”
The Premier League has not yet issued a statement on the status of the match after it was abandoned.
Lockyer previously suffered a medical emergency 12 minutes into the Championship play-off at Wembley Stadium back in May. After that incident, he was taken to hospital immediately and was responsive. He had a successful operation at London’s Cleveland Clinic and was later cleared to train with his team-mates during pre-season.
The defender, who has started 15 of Luton’s 17 Premier League matches this season, signed a new contract with Luton in July ahead of their inaugural Premier League season.
Lockyer was born in Cardiff and is a full Wales international, and has made 117 appearances for Luton. He was a key figure as they won promotion to the Premier League last season.
The thoughts of the entire football world are with Tom Lockyer and his family during this difficult time.