A Saints fan who witnessed a supporter collapse during Southampton FC’s game with Rotherham at St Mary’s on Saturday has recalled the ‘horrific’ incident.
Mel Adamson, 27, was watching the match from her season ticket seats in the Chapel Stand when a fellow Saints fan fell ill.
Mel told the Echo: “I was sat in block 13 when two guys got up just before half time.
“A man around 70 years old smiled at me and said thank you and just seconds later he collapsed and fell down the stairs.
“It was surreal, a lot of people saw it, but I think we were all questioning what had just happened.”
READ MORE: Saints pledge incident review after fan taken to hospital
Mel said fans were waving at stewards to get their attention before paramedics made their way up the flight of stairs to administer CPR.
“It probably took about five minutes until the stewards realised what was going on, I don’t think anyone was prepared for it,” said Mel.
She added: “I think some people initially thought there had been a fight as you don’t expect this sort of thing to happen.
“A man from the crowd must have been a doctor or a nurse as he was helping the man before medics arrived.
“It was difficult to see what was going on as there was so many people around, stewards eventually blocked the area off so you couldn’t get in or out, more than anything out of respect for the man.”
Mel added: “I just hope he’s okay. A lot of people were shaken afterwards and a lady in front of me left early.
“Stewards were handing out water to people who looked shaken.”
The supporter was carried out of St Mary's Stadium on a stretcher and was taken to hospital.
The club said it could not give updates on his condition due to patient confidentiality.
The emergency delayed the start to the second half by 10 minutes, with the club pledging to review the incident and the response to it.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Southampton FC said: "Our thoughts and well-wishes are with the fan and their family during this challenging time.
"We extend our gratitude to the stewards, paramedics, and medical professionals for their response and care.
"We would also like to thank the other supporters in the area who reacted quickly and helped to allow an effective medical response through their helpful behaviour."
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