Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer collapses vs Bournemouth | OneFootball

Highlights

Luton Town's Premier League contest against Bournemouth was marred with upsetting scenes as Tom Lockyer collapsed on the pitch and had to receive medical attention with both sets of players sent to the dressing rooms. The Luton man went down with no one around him, immediately sparking worry from everyone in attendance.

Paramedics were quick to attend to the 29-year-old, and he has since been stretchered off of the pitch. Recent updates, and an official club statement from Luton, have revealed that the Luton captain suffered cardiac arrest during the game, but is awake and responsive right now, which is, of course, wonderful news.

Lockyer suffered a similar incident last season

The incident immediately brought back memories of Luton's playoff final victory over Coventry City back in May when Lockyer collapsed on the pitch and was forced to watch his side's triumph from the sidelines.

The moment was attributed to heart problems, and it was unclear whether he would be able to continue playing football, but he was given the all-clear after he underwent heart surgery during the summer. Some things are more important than football and health is certainly one of them. With Lockyer experiencing something like this twice in less than a year now, we can only hope that he receives the help he needs to make sure it never occurs again.

The game was called off

After the incident, the match was suspended while Lockyer received treatment from the medical staff at the Vitality Stadium. Eventually, the referee, Simon Hooper, decided to call the game off completely, which was certainly the right decision to make. It's next to impossible to expect players to continue after seeing something so distressing.

What followed was incredibly emotional scenes as both sets of players and their respective managers returned to the pitch and conducted a lap of the arena, applauding the fans in the stands who had remained awaiting any updates on the situation. They were met with applause from the supporters too, and it was a fine example of fans coming together and putting their differences aside in the face of such a devastating event.

As we await further news, we keep Lockyer in our thoughts and pray for a positive update as he continues to receive treatment. In the grand scheme of things, football actually means very little in comparison to something as serious as Lockyer's health and whether this is the end of his career or not, let's just hope he makes a full recovery.