Hero doctor who saved Newcastle fan’s life works for rivals Middlesbrough
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The doctor who saved a Newcastle United fans life following a cardiac arrest at St. James' Park works for rivals Middlesbrough.
Sunday’s Premier League clash between Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur was halted for around 20 minutes after a home supporter suffered a cardiac arrest in the stands.
The match was suspended after Spurs left-back Sergio Reguilon swiftly alerted referee Andre Marriner to the medical emergency following commotion in the crowd.
Teammate Eric Dier was also hailed after sprinting to the Newcastle dugout to call for the urgent need of a defibrillator.
Magpies club doctor Paul Catterson then rushed over to support those in the stand who were treating the fan in distress.
It has now emerged that Dr Tom Pritchard, who has been credited with saving the Newcastle fan’s life, in fact works for North East rivals Middlesbrough.
Pritchard, who holds a part-time role with Boro’s Academy alongside a position at North Tees Hospital, was among the St. James' Park spectators on Sunday and quickly stepped in to provide life-saving support alongside medical staff at the scene.
As the game resumed following the stoppage, Newcastle released a statement to confirm the supporter had successfully been stabilised inside the ground and was then transported to hospital.
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It was later reported that the supporter was awake and responsive with Pritchard’s intervention proving critical in saving the supporter’s life.
Former Newcastle star David Ginola, who had a quadruple heart bypass following a collapse during a 2016 charity match in France, spoke of the importance of defibrillators on Sky Sports during the stoppage.
Ginola said: “It is vital (to have defibrillators). It brings back very weird memories. It’s been weird. We were watching a good game of football. The defibrillator helps massively. People in the stands being able to perform CPR helps massively.
“It is obviously a very strange experience. Hopefully he or she will be fine, but it’s important to make the point that everyone knows CPR.”
With Spurs 2-1 ahead before the suspension, after goals from Tanguy Ndombele and Son Heung-min overturned Callum Wilson’s early opener, Harry Kane then hit a third seven minutes into first half additional time.
A late Dier own goal wasn’t enough to spark a Toon comeback as Spurs held on for all three points.
- Premier League
- Newcastle United FC
- Tottenham Hotspur FC
- Middlesbrough FC
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