A football match was called off following a shocking incident in which a player smashed into a concrete perimeter wall. The fixture at Taylors Avenue between Carrick Rangers and Bangor FC was brought to an abrupt end after Paul Heatley slammed into the pitch-side barrier. The horrific collision happened during the second half, prompting a delay of more than 30 minutes before referee Christopher Morrison opted to abandon the encounter.
Bangor were ahead 1-0 courtesy of Ben Arthurs’ 14th-minute strike when Heatley, whilst attempting to deliver a cross, careered into the concrete perimeter wall at Taylor’s Avenue. Carrick Rangers issued a statement saying: “This afternoon’s game has been abandoned following a lengthy stoppage to attend to Paul Heatley, who suffered a collision with the perimeter wall. Our thoughts at this time are with Paul for a full and speedy recovery.”
Heatley, a veteran at Crusaders, now features under former Crues boss Stephen Baxter at Carrick. Baxter offered an update after the match, confirming that Heatley had been rushed to hospital following the terrifying collision, which produced ‘a thud heard all around the ground’.
“The good news is he was speaking to us, he was awake,” Baxter said. “We heard the thud and we were 150 yards away. Thank goodness the board was on the wall to take that impact a little. It was a sickening thud.
“The head is badly split, he’s gone to the hospital now to get that all assessed. There could be neck injury there also, trauma to the head, all sorts of stuff that you’re worried about.
“The medical people here today were superb. I knew immediately there was a problem, I screamed at our doctor and physio to get on. These people went into overdrive. The ambulance people, doctors, physios from both teams deserve tremendous credit.
“Thankfully Paul was awake. His eyes were opened and I was able to speak to them. His wife was there. Our thoughts are with the family.
“He is a strong boy, he’s made of good stuff, he will be fine. We are awaiting good news maybe later on and hope that he’s ok.”
Concerning the concrete barrier surrounding the pitch, Baxter disclosed: “We were in here on Thursday chatting around grounds improvements and funding that will maybe improve our grounds and maybe even take this type of dangerous wall away as we move forward.
“At the end, football is just a game. On behalf of everyone here, we wish Paul a speedy recovery because he is an absolute superstar of this football club.”