‘Deeply shocked’ – Club rally round after cup tie is abandoned as incident leaves player hospitalised
A cup tie between two West Sussex Football League teams was abandoned after an incident which eft a player needing to go to hospital with serious mouth and jaw injuries.
Midhurst and Easebourne FC’s second team – who play under the name Midhurst and Easebourne Community – were playing a home Malcolm Simmonds Memorial Cup match at the Rotherfield against Emsworth Town when the flashpoint occurred around 15 minutes into the match.
Police and league officials have been involved as investigations continue – with the club saying they are doing all they can to support ‘one of our own’ at a ‘horrific’ time.
Midhurst and Easebourne said in a statement on Saturday night: “Following the abandonment of our community team fixture this afternoon at the Rotherfield in the Malcolm Simmonds Memorial Cup, we can confirm that two Midhurst players were involved in a serious incident, with one requiring hospital treatment. As a result, the match was abandoned.
“As a club we are deeply shocked that an incident of this nature has occurred during a game that should be enjoyed by everyone involved.
"We would like to extend our sincere thanks to South East Coast Ambulance Service and the club’s first aid-trained staff, who provided outstanding care and support to our player and his family during a very difficult situation.
"We are working closely with Sussex Police and the West Sussex Football Club as enquiries continue. Our priority remains the wellbeing and recovery of the player involved.
"We kindly ask that the privacy of the player, his family, team-mates, club officials and all those affected by today’s events is respected.
"We will provide updates through our official channels when appropriate and when further information is available. ***#OneClub #OneCommunity #OneVision.”
A further statement on Sunday afternoon revealed the extent of a player’s injuries.
The new Midhurst and Easebourne FC statement said: “Unfortunately two of our players were assaulted by yesterday’s opposition in a completley unprovoked attack. This led to one of our team members requiring urgent medical treatment after the serious injuries he received.
"We are now pleased to say he has been discharged from hospital after suffering severe damage to his internal mouth, a broken bone in his jaw, and a high chance of requiring surgery to fix the injury further.
"We would also like to thank again the South East Coast Ambulance Service for their swift response, and all of the medical team at the accident and emergency department.
"As a club we will continue to be working closely with Sussex Police and the West Sussex Football League to make sure the corrrect sanctions are carried out, and make sure we protect any further teams from having to put their players at such risk playing the game we enjoy.
"We will also be carrying out internal welfare checks on the rest of the playing squad, staff and supporters who were affected by yesterday’s incident. Our support goes out to ‘one of our own’ and his family members at this horrific time.”