Rob Edwards and Luton Town are preparing for their first trip back to the Vitality Stadium since Tom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest on the South Coast in December 2023. The match was abandoned after the defender was rushed off to hospital but it is finally going to be replayed tonight in what is now a huge game in the Premier League's relegation battle.
At the time, the Bournemouth supporters reacted superbly to the incident with all Luton and Bournemouth players getting a standing ovation after they returned to the pitch following the abandonment. Now, three months on, Luton boss Rob Edwards has commented on the bond that the two sets of fans now share after going through the experience together in December.
“It was really raw at the time, but I think the two clubs will have a special bond now. Things like the Bournemouth Supporters Trust raising money to pay for the coaches for our supporters as they're having to do the journey twice, I think that shows a lot of class from them, so a big, big thank you from me and our football club.”
Luton striker, Carlton Morris, echoed his manager's thoughts. Talking about the coach situation, he said:
“It’s incredible really, the support since the incident happened. It’s really nice to see. There is a good relationship there. That’s such a generous thing for one club to do for another and speaks highly of both. The fans have taken it upon themselves to make some positive out of it, which is something for them both to be proud of.”
Rob Edwards prepares for emotional return
In the same press conference, the Luton boss was very open and candid about his feelings on returning to the Vitality Stadium. Although Lockyer has come on tremendously and is even weighing up a return to professional football, the return will still be an emotional one. Edwards said:
“It will be emotional going back and reliving that experience, but we know we have to do it. Locks will meet the people who helped save his life and see their supporters, who were unbelievable on the day.
“It will be nice to be able to close that part of the story up and concentrate on moving forward. It was a really difficult experience that we all went through. The main thing now is that Locks is okay and the silver lining is that some good will have come from it with more awareness on CPR and the importance of knowing what to do in those emergency situations.”