'Our hero': Non-league goalie uses doctor skills to save opposition player's life during Arlesey game  



A quick-thinking non-league goalkeeper who works as a doctor in his day job helped save the life of an opposition player who had suffered cardiac arrest on the pitch during a game at the weekend.

David Jones from Hitchin, who plays in goal for nearby Arlesey Town, acted immediately when he saw a 49-old-year footballer for Shefford Veterans become ill on the field of play during the first half of their friendly clash on Sunday.

The expert doctor who works in Cambridge raced to the aid of the man while teammates ran to fetch the club’s defibrillator at the Armadillo Stadium on the Hitchin Road.

Arlesey Town boss Nuno Nieli spoke to Hitchin Nub News to hail the modest hero on an afternoon of drama which thankfully ended on a positive note.

Club stalwart Nieli who has been with the Blues for more than a decade said: “We couldn’t be more proud of our keeper. Dave brought their player back to life on the pitch twice while the lads got the defibrillator. “He was so calm and knew exactly what he was doing with the compression tests.

“It was a bit scary. At first a few people thought the player was having an asthma attack but Dave knew it was a cardiac arrest.  “He’s just a modest bloke who’s one of the lads, and he wouldn’t want any fuss – but we all love him big time here at Arlesey. He’s definitely our hero.

“The opposition were also incredibly thankful for what he did in keeping their man alive while the defibrillator came.   ”Nieli added that it also showed the importance of every club having a defibrillator at their ground spefically for emergencies.

Nieli also praised everyone at Arlesey for facilitating the arrival of an air ambulance that landed on the pitch to aid the man, after Jones had kept him alive following his collapse.

A club statement added: “We would like to thank Dave and everyone involved with their quick response during the incident, and we hope the player involved makes a full recovery.”