Tom Lockyer collapse was 'scariest moment of my life', says Luton manager Rob Edwards

Luton Town manager Rob Edwards has described the moment that Hatters captain Tom Lockyer collapsed suddenly on the pitch as “the scariest moment” of his life.

Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest during the second half of Luton's Premier League match at Bournemouth, which was abandoned after the 29-year-old received emergency treatment on the field before being taken to hospital.

Lockyer had also collapsed on the pitch during Luton's Championship play-off win over Coventry City in May and subsequently underwent heart surgery but had been given the all-clear to play during the summer.

He was discharged from hospital five days after the latest collapse at the Vitality Stadium having had an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator device fitted. Luton have since said his cardiac arrest was different to the play-off final episode when he suffered atrial fibrillation.

And in the pre-match press conference for Saturday's home game with Newcastle United, Edwards talked about his shock when Lockyer went down – and his gratitude for the quick reactions of medical staff.

“It was the scariest moment I have ever had, never mind in football,” said Edwards.

“The medical guys were incredible. It was a crazy pressurised situation with the world watching and they got every decision bang on. I'm so proud of them. They saved him.

“Our medical guys, Bournemouth's, the paramedics that were there, they are real heroes.”

Lockyer has started a period of recovery and is expected not to feature for Luton in the coming weeks and months.

An ICD is a small battery-powered device placed in the chest that detects and stops irregular heartbeats. It delivers electric shocks, when needed, to restore a regular heart rhythm and Edwards said it was “too early to