A footballer and a club manager have recalled the moment they saved a referee's life when he collapsed with a heart attack during a match. Liam Latham, 28, gave Eric Mann CPR on the pitch before Alex Walmsley used the defibrillator on him ahead of the arrival of paramedics. Alex, 33, told how he and his teammates 'chipped in' to buy the life-saving defib at the start of the season - it's carried to all games in the boot of a car.
Liam and Alex also championed the vital necessity of up-to-date first aid training and Football Association-backed courses as the Manchester Evening News can reveal that thankfully, Eric is now showing welcome signs of recovery.
Eric - who at the age of 82 is believed to be the oldest football referee in Greater Manchester and the north west - collapsed on the pitch just minutes into a veterans league 11-a-side game he was officiating late last month. He was rushed to hospital where he had surgery to fit a stent and remained in an induced coma.
Now - in an update after the M.E.N.'s story prompted a flood of well-wishes for him - his family has revealed he's awake and talking. A spokesman for the family said he was no longer in a coma and described his condition at Wythenshawe Hospital as stable.
And Eric is said, when he recovers, to want to personally meet the men who saved his life.
Great-grandfather Eric, a retired engineer and cleaner from Wythenshawe, is hugely respected as a 'grassroots legend' of the amateur football scene in Greater Manchester and the wider north west region. Refereeing for almost 50 years, he's well-known for handing players a baby's dummy when they challenge decisions he makes on the pitch - helping to diffuse emotions with laughter.
Eric collapsed at the start of a Cheshire Veterans League game between Congleton-based Unicorn FC and Penlake Juniors AFC, based in St Helens, at Back Lane playing fields in Congleton, Cheshire.
Liam, from Bolton, is the open-age manager of Stockport Dynamoes FC and Alex plays for Congleton-based Astbury FC.
Liam said: "The team were playing on a pitch about 200 yards away from where he was refereeing. Our game was interrupted when one of the players ran over to ask if anyone was first aid-trained. I ran over to the pitch and they had put him on his side and put a jacket on him. It was quite clear his heart had stopped.
"I put Eric back onto his back, checked his vital signs, cleared his airway and then I went straight into CPR. We were at it for seven or eight minutes. I almost just went into autopilot."
Meanwhile Alex, from Stockport, who was playing on the pitch beside Eric's, was also alerted to the situation.
Alex said of Eric: "He was non-responsive at that time, but was breathing. I went over to the car because I knew there wasn't a defibrillator close by. As I got back to Eric, Liam had started CPR. During that period Eric had stopped breathing and Liam had started CPR straight away, which saved his life. He did not think twice about it."
Alex said he and his teammates purchased the defibrillator for around £400 for exactly the type of emergency incident. It comes with pads and the user is talked through the process as the device activates.
"It is all automated," he said. "The voice speaks to you and tells you what to do and where to place the pads. It monitors pulse and when it is ready, it tells people to stand back then you press the button and the person gets a shock.
"It was about to charge up ready for another one but at that time, the ambulance arrived. It was both Liam and myself who gave him CPR - I took over from Liam. The ambulance's defibrillator took over and gave him another shock. We continued CPR until he was in the ambulance.
"I'm really proud of my team mates for chipping in to buy a defib. I think all clubs should find out where their nearest defib is and should consider purchasing one if they can. In this case the defib didn't manage to restart Eric's heart and it was the immediate first aid and CPR from Liam when needed that helped save his life.
"Teams should consider having a few regular members first aid trained. I'm so glad Eric is on the road to recovery - that's the most important thing. It could happen to any of us."
Liam said Eric's family have been keeping him up to date with his progress. "I believe that his heart stopped three times on the way to surgery," he added. "The family are keeping me up to date with how he is and have said that he is due to move onto a general ward in the next day or two, which is great news.
"For me, it's just around the importance of making sure every team has at least one person at every game who has completed the FA Emergency First Aid course. This should be the case anyway as per FA Guidelines, but far too often we see players go down, and nobody on their team is qualified to deal with it, especially with the adult teams.
"I'd strongly encourage as many people as possible who are involved in football to partake in the FA's Emergency First Aid course. It lasts approximately two can be done online and costs just £30. Last Sunday's events have shown, you just never know when it might be needed to save a life. Every team should have someone qualified in attendance at training and match days, it's a no brainer really."
Eric was a regular referee at the indoor Powerleague in Trafford, based at the Soccer Dome near the Trafford Centre, but also referees 11-a-side association league fixtures.
Players past and present - and clubs across the region - took to social media to send him and his family their best wishes after his collapse and a JustGiving appeal was launched. You can donate here.
Full details about the FA's Emergency First Aid course are available on this link.
Read more of today's top stories here
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