Luton’s Tom Lockyer was given oxygen as medics of both clubs help him on to a stretcher after his scary fall with no one near him.
Fans and his teammates were worried about the condition of the defender who collapsed during the game.
His parents rushed to the medical room as the 28-year old was substituted after just 12 minutes in their Championship playoff final against Coventry.
The Welsh player was put on a stretcher, taken into the stadium and Rob Edwards brought Reece Burke as his replacement.
Not sure what happened with Tom Lockyer but this looked pretty scary pic.twitter.com/bYjRALETNx
— Noah Robson (@noahrobson_) May 27, 2023
A Sky Sports update said: “Tom Lockyer was taken off the pitch by the medical staff of both Wembley and Luton Town. He was conscious.”
At half time, they said he was awake and in his way to hospital.
It was added that his parents came down from the stands to be by his side, with Sky Sports promising to keep viewers updated.
It’s a huge blow for the player, he really will be gutted that his impressive season ended in this way after the campaign he has had.
Tom Lockyer is awake, conscious and on his way to hospital after collapsing during the first half at Wembley. pic.twitter.com/XB91KxlBTj
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 27, 2023
Tom’s Dad here. Tom is ok. Very happy but so sad he can’t be there with his team mates. Here is the moment……. pic.twitter.com/4mxlyGqbhI
— Steve Lockyer (@sl_cardiff) May 27, 2023
Here’s how fans reacted as Luton’s Tom Lockyer is given oxygen while medics help him on stretcher after his scary fall…
@AdrianColes72: Praying Tom Lockyer is ok, be good to have an update as soon as possible, Gas Legend and just an all round lovely person. 🙏
@JohnCoops271980: Really do hope Tom Lockyer is OK and has a speedy recovery.
@Leeds_Hatter: Looked awful seeing Tom Lockyer going down. Speedy recovery Tom #COYH #LutonTown #LTFC
@Vinlad84: Scary what happened to Lockyer there. Hope it’s not as bad as it looked
@JPymTKC: Doesn’t look good this
@Chebs4377: Hope he’s ok. Been immense for them.
@JakeW2311: Gutted for him. Get well soon
@lil_robbin: I really hope he’s okay. The head first into the ground didn’t look pretty , especially if it was his knee that made him go down.
@_JoeDavison: Horrible to see. Can only think it’s a delayed concussion of some sort after the chance early on. Get well soon lad
@UtdRefusal: I’m no doctor, but to me that shows him losing his footing then going over on his ankle badly – probably broken.
@JohnCoops271980: Really do hope Tom Lockyer is OK and has a speedy recovery.
@matthewjamesali: Fucking hell that’s not good
@BenH93_: Mental. Hope Tom Lockyer is okay and wish him a speedy recovery.
@Dbrown602602: Looks bad this , hope he’s ok
@ctfc_b: That looks awful, hope the blokes alright.
@CFCBOYO96: Hope Tom Lockyer is okay 🏴
Lockyer had played 45 games in all competitions as Luton booked their spot in the Wembley contest with a semi-final win over Sunderland.
Having been named in the Championship team of the season, he said at the time: “It was a really proud moment for me and my family to get that recognition, fantastic, something that no-one can take away from me.
“I’m really delighted with that, but I couldn’t have done it without the lads, so massive thank-you to them as well.”
Tom Lockyer knew he would be in Wembley spotlight as his Luton team faced Coventry.
The centre-back was once told that he was too small. Now he is aiming for a successful end to a superb season, and a taste of Premier League.
The 28-year old, who was part of the Wales team at the World Cup 2022 in Qatar, said that the season had already been memorable but a promotion would make it perfect.
🗣️“You’re not English, you’re not British, you’re Welsh!” 🏴 ❤️
Luton Town’s Tom Lockyer says there’s ‘no greater feeling’ than representing Wales ⚽️#BBCFootball #Cymru
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) May 26, 2023
“It’s massive not just for me but the whole club and the whole city. And personally it is massive for me at my age – Premier League teams are not really shopping in the older age group,” Lockyer admitted, as per BBC.
“A chance to play in the Premier League is something you dream of as a kid. To be this close with almost one hand on it, it would be a shame not to reach it now.”
Lockyer, who was released from his home club Cardiff City when he turned 18 because they thought he was too small, has already proven the doubters wrong.
Lockyer was determined to succeed despite the early rejection.
“It’s the old cliché, centre-backs have to be 6ft 2ins and jump like a salmon. It is what it is, but getting released was probably the best thing that happened to me,” he said.
“It hurt massively at the time. It was the end of the world, I thought ‘where do I go from here, what do I do’.
“But after I had processed it, I thought ‘well, that’s your opinion, I am not good enough, I am not strong enough, I am going to prove you wrong’.
“That was my attitude going forward… I thought if that’s the case, let’s go to the gym three, four, five times a week. Let’s do some weight-training programmes and all that stuff to prove you wrong.”
Lockyer was awarded a scholarship by Bristol Rovers in the summer of 2012. He played more than 200 games for the club before joining Charlton Athletic in 2019 as a free-agent.
“When someone says you cannot do something, it’s motivation for me to say I will prove you wrong,” he said.
“That is not just in football but in life as well. If someone says ‘you cannot hit that drive down the middle’ in golf, I am hitting that drive down the middle. There is no two ways about that.
“As soon as I got my head around rejection it was absolutely motivation to go and push on.”
Lockyer is grateful for Rovers and some youngsters at Cardiff saw his success. They asked him if he could arrange loans at the Bristol outfit.
“For me it was the best thing that happened to my football career. I dread to think where I would be now,” he said.
Hatters boss Edwards says of his fellow countryman: “Tom has been clearly one of our most important players on the grass, but he is a leader off it as well.
“He is a brilliant human being, he is a demanding man but I think he is someone who has just found a way to maximise his performance every single week.
“What people have seen is in the last few weeks with the bigger the games we have had and the more we have been on tv, and him getting man-of-the-match awards and scoring as well as defending.
“He has been building up more of a name for himself but he has been doing that on the training pitch throughout the season. I cannot speak highly enough of him. He has delivered brilliant performances so far and hopefully there is one more big one in him.”
Lockyer added: “I think there are a few transit vans and mini buses going up. Anyone heading into London from Cardiff, watch out that day!”
Lockyer, who has been a member of the squad for the Qatar World Cup and Euro 2020, but did not play, is eager to add more caps to his fourteen.
The centre-half made his last appearance in an international friendly against Finland on the 20th of September, 2021.
“I say it myself but I was the best cheerleader out there! There was no more I could have done for the lads. I loved it, I loved being involved,” he said.
“Obviously I was quite a while out of the international set-up, which was frustrating, but to be back was amazing. If I was not going to be there I was going to be the biggest supporter wherever I was.
“To be there with the lads was unbelievable and an experience which will live with me forever.”
Lockyer is looking to top it off with promotion.
Lockyer, who won the Conference Premier playoff final penalties shoot-out with Bristol Rovers against Grimsby in 2015, is looking forward to his return to Wembley for the game dubbed as the most valuable in the domestic football schedule.
“I am one out of one at Wembley at the minute. Two out of two sounds better,” he said.
“It’s a make or break day, it could be such an amazing day or it could be so sad. I hope it’s on the happy side.”
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