Wycombe Wanderers manager Matt Bloomfield has revealed there were worries that Luke Leahy ‘could have suffered a cardiac arrest’ in the recent 1-0 home loss to Stevenage.
The 30-year-old, who turns 31 in a few days, was rushed to Stoke Mandeville Hospital after suffering a serious head injury in the latter stages of last weekend’s defeat.
The ex-Shrewsbury Town man collided with teammate Josh Scowen and was ‘unresponsive’ as he laid down on the Adams Park pitch.
Play was stopped for roughly 20 minutes as he received treatment.
FT: Wycombe Wanderers 0-1 Stevenage.
— James Richings (@James_BFP) November 11, 2023
Forget the game, forget the result, we wish both @B_Hanlan and @lukeleahy a speedy recovery.
Stevenage's fans should be ashamed of the way they behaved when Leahy was being treated.
Disgusting.
READ MORE: Wycombe's Luke Leahy speaks out for the first time since serious head injury
He was eventually taken to the Aylesbury-based hospital, before being discharged a day later.
Bloomfield told the press on November 16: “Luke was in a serious condition.
“I went to the hospital to see him and Brandon [after he was also taken off in the loss with a serious leg injury, which has now been confirmed as a ruptured ACL] on Saturday night and they weren’t in good shape.
“My emotions on the day were anger and frustration, but that’s turned to sadness and disappointment because of how the day was conducted.
“When Doctor Bob went onto the pitch to check on Luke, they were looking for a pulse as they were worried that he suffered a cardiac arrest off the back of his concussion.
READ MORE: 'A tough game for him' - Steve Evans praises ref's performance in Wycombe win
“Our players were also trying to make sure that he didn’t swallow his tongue.
Steve Evans: "We were told that Wycombe wanted the game to be abandoned.
— James Richings (@James_BFP) November 11, 2023
“It’s 1-0 with eight minutes to go and they want the game stopped.
"We’d been calling off games every Saturday if players went down with a head knock."#Chairboys https://t.co/hlLlq8UM3h
“In what has been described as a head knock, I think, it’s dangerous to call these things head knocks as later in life, people could suffer from dementia, depression and other issues off the back of these head injuries.
“It wasn’t a head knock – it was a serious situation that our boys experienced.
“They saw one of their colleagues and friend suffer from something serious so they were in shock, and at no point did we ever try and get the game called off.
Steve Evans on the Stevenage fans: "It’s not every day the away fans are louder than the home fans as they made Wycombe very quiet today.
— James Richings (@James_BFP) November 11, 2023
“They were brilliant.”#Chairboys
“He tried to figure out what to do next but didn’t seem to know what to do, so he asked for our opinion which we gave.
READ MORE: Stevenage's fans slammed for their behaviour as Wycombe's Leahy suffers head injury
“What I do know is that there should have been a process that should have been followed, and asking players who are in shock for their opinion is probably not the best way to go about it.
“We were caught in the centre of the storm and then accused of actions that weren’t true.”
Matt Bloomfield has confirmed that Luke Leahy will not be rushed back to the Wycombe first team.
— James Richings (@James_BFP) November 16, 2023
It's also been confirmed that the paramedics treating Leahy were 'searching for a pulse'.
Bloomfield said: "It wasn't just a head knock."#Chairboys
The manager also praised several members of the Wanderers team who helped the Leahy family as he was tended to by the paramedics.
He continued: “I’m so proud of the way we conducted ourselves as a team, especially Joe Jacobson and David Wheeler.
“The first responders formed the wall between Luke and the opposition fans, whilst JJ [Jacobson] and Sam Vokes went to the players’ box to get Lauren (Leahy’s wife) and Zak (Leahy’s child), to make sure they were OK.
“They took them around to the changing area so they could see Luke as quickly as possible.
Steve Evans: "Our first thoughts are with Luke Leahy, the boy who came off concussed.
— James Richings (@James_BFP) November 13, 2023
"That’s always [tough] to see.
"I said to the ref at the end of the game, I thought it was a tough game for him."#Chairboys 👇https://t.co/U6fg30Gtsr
“Then, David Wheeler and his wife, Alice, looked after Zak until his grandparents came over in the evening.
READ MORE: 'He was unresponsive' - Bloomfield provides update on Brandon Hanlan and Luke Leahy
“We’ve had so much support come our way and I’m so proud to be part of this football club, and sometimes, it takes a sad event to conduct ourselves in the right way.
“And Saturday was one of those days.”
The return fixture between Wycombe and Stevenage will take place at the Lamex Stadium in February.
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