Bognor goalie saved after match heart attack

John Burgess was playing in goal in a five-a-side game in Worthing when he suffered the heart attack, but fate intervened when he was revived by a former paramedic.

Richard Williams rushed to his aid and cleared his airways before giving him ten minutes of chest compressions to bring him back to life.

It was by pure chance that both of the men were at Worthing Leisure Centre when it happened.

Mr Burgess, 43, was persuaded to play by his two stepsons after complaining of feeling tired, while paramedic Mr Williams, 40, was only at the leisure centre to stretch his back which he had surgery on last year.

Mr Williams who is a running coach for Worthing Harriers running club, said: “His stepsons were saying he felt unwell, and didn’t want to go, but they persuaded him, and I didn’t intend to go there either.

“It was just fate, he wasn’t meant to be there, and I wasn’t meant to be there.

“I had just gone down there to stretch my back out. My daughters came up and said there was someone outside collapsed.

“There was a guy on the ground in cardiac arrest, so I cleared his airways. It was a successful outcome.

“People panic, there are trained first aiders, but if they have never done it before it’s a scary situation.”

Ambulance crews arrived and took Mr Burgess to Worthing Hospital. Doctors have told Mr Burgess’ family that if he had not been treated by Mr Williams he would have died.

He was playing football in goal for Phoenix FC with his stepsons Glenn Batchelor and Michael Kent at the time.

Mr Burgess reportedly told them he did not want to play after coming home from work and feeling tired, and if he had stayed at home he would have been on his own and wouldn’t have been found for some time.