Football fan 'saved life' in pub

Luton Town fan Matthew Davies jumped to the aid of a pensioner when he was taken ill in the Thatched House in Poulton on Saturday afternoon.

The man, in his 70s, collapsed at the bar of the Ball Street pub.

And Mr Davies, who had travelled north to see his side play at Bloomfield Road, began to give him CPR.

Landlord Neil Smith said: "It was around 12.30pm and we had a group of around a dozen in from Luton.

"Suddenly one of our regulars collapsed.

"This lad Matthew started giving him CPR.

"We dialled 999 and eventually a police officer arrived with a defibrillator.

"They continued to work on him and they revived him twice on the floor by the bar."

Sergeant Steve Hardman was the police officer who responded to the call.

And he battled to keep the pensioner alive until an ambulance crew reached the pub.

Sgt Hardman, a traffic officer with Lancashire Police, said: "I received the call at around 12.30pm.

"I believe a member of the public had run to Poulton police station to see if there were any first aid trained officers.

"The call went out over the radio and I wasn't far away.

"We carry the defibrillator in the car.

"When I arrived at the scene I found it was worse than initially reported.

"A member of the public was giving CPR but he was concerned it was not working.

"The patient was not breathing.

"I set up the machine, let it assess the patient and administered the shocks.

"I kept with him until the ambulance arrived and continued to work on him with paramedics.

"Eventually we were able to bring him round and he was talking to us in the pub.

"He was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital and I visited him later when we were able to have a full conversation.

"The recovery was remarkable."

Mr Smith said: "Football supporters might have a bad name.

"This group came to us because they wanted a real ale pub.

"One of them has ended up saving a life.

"They came back in after the match and I'm sure a lot of people will have thanked Matthew for what he did."

The Gazette has attempted to contact Mr Davies for comment.

Luton Town Football Club paid tribute to his actions.

The club Tweeted: "Well done Matthew Davies...a true Hatters hero on a day full of them. We hope the person involved is well and makes a full recovery."

The Hatters won 2-0 at Blackpool.