(bristolpost.co.uk) – “It had not rained for weeks before the game and the pitch was very hard. I took the ball into contact and was intercepted by another player. I fell backwards and my head hit the ground with full force.
“For a while after the impact I was quite lucid although I don’t remember getting up, but apparently I was walking from the pitch and telling my coach that I wanted to shake the opposition players’ hands before he sensibly took me out of the game.
“However, I promptly collapsed at the side of the pitch and started having a fit.
“This was when those around me suddenly realised the severity of the situation and called for an ambulance.
“After that, everything just faded into blackness. I was airlifted to The Royal London Hospital where doctors discovered that the impact of the blow had caused me to suffer a life-threatening brain haemorrhage. CONTINUE