Luton’s Premier League game with Bournemouth is to be replayed afresh following the abandonment caused by Tom Lockyer‘s collapse at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
According to Premier League Rule L15, any match abandoned with the consent of the referee will be replayed on a date and time to be determined by the top flight’s board.
Players from Luton Town and Bournemouth were substituted midway through the second half, with Lockyer receiving medical attention after collapsing off the ball.
Following talks with both clubs, referee Simon Hooper announced that the game would be called off, and the players returned to the field to applaud the fans who were chanting Lockyer’s name.
The Premier League issued a statement shortly afterwards, saying, “Our thoughts are with Tom Lockyer and all players involved in today’s match.”
On Saturday, a minute after Bournemouth had equalized in the second half, the Luton captain collapsed in his own half while the game was still going on.
Lockyer was soon declared in a “stable” condition in the hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest, and the match was called off because both sets of players were “in no state of mind to continue.”
It was an incredibly distressing scene for those at the Vitality Stadium as Lockyer went down with nobody around him.
As paramedics and medical staff from both sides attended to Lockyer on the pitch, Luton manager Rob Edwards ran on to the pitch, with both sets of players visibly distressed.
The 29-year-old was responsive’ when he was carried away on a stretcher 10 minutes later, to cheers from the crowd. Lockyer has collapsed during a game for the second time this season.
He was taken to the hospital during Luton’s Championship play-off final victory over Coventry in May, but he was given the ‘all clear’ to return to action in June after undergoing heart surgery.
Steve Lockyer, Lockyer’s father, shared an Instagram photo of his family celebrating Luton Town’s promotion to the Premier League from his hospital bed that day.
Luton Town confirmed Lockyer was responsive and had been taken to the hospital, adding that players and staff were in ‘no state of mind’ to continue the game.
It read, “Our medical staff have confirmed that the Hatters captain suffered cardiac arrest on the pitch but was responsive by the time he was taken off on the stretcher.
“He received further treatment inside the stadium, for which we once again thank the medical teams from both sides.
“Tom was transferred to the hospital, where we can reassure supporters that he is stable and currently undergoing further tests with his family at his bedside.
“We would like to thank everyone for their support, concern, and loving messages for Locks.’
