Tom Lockyer: Luton Town captain given ‘all-clear’ after heart surgery

Tom Lockyer says he has “been given the all-clear” to resume his career after having heart surgery to address the problem that saw him collapse during Luton’s play-off final win at Wembley.

It caused the defender to collapse in the eighth minute of the Wembley final.

“I’ve had the operation to fix it and it shouldn’t happen again,” he said.

“There’s not really any reason to say why that happened.

“I’ve been given the all-clear – it is what it is and I just want to draw a line under it now and move on.

“I’ve had my full heart checked and double checked with all the scans and tests they can do on a heart, and they’ve all come back positive.”

The Luton captain is “thankful” his team-mates went on to secure promotion to the Premier League with a penalty shootout victory against Coventry City.

‘I couldn’t stop crying’

Lockyer said the medical emergency he suffered left him “really emotional” and in tears on the Wembley pitch as he was told he would play no further part in the game.

“It was a weird one,” he recalled during his first interview with the club following the incident.

“I remember running backwards and then I went really light-headed and my legs went really weak straight away, as I was running back. I remember stumbling back and then all I remember was [physiotherapist] Chris Phillips over the top of me, and he was saying ‘Locks, you’re coming off’.

“I was like ‘no mate, no mate, I’m fine’, but he was saying ‘no, it’s serious Locks, you’ve collapsed. You’re coming off’. Then it dawned on me that I was on the floor and this is actually serious.

“I just got really emotional. I couldn’t stop crying on the floor.

“It was probably a lot worse for everyone else watching than it was for me because as soon as I came back around, I was fine. I never really felt in any danger and it definitely wasn’t as bad as it looked.”

‘A hard watch’

The Wales defender said it was in the medical room under the Wembley stands that he was told the Hatters had taken the lead through Jordan Clark.

He went on to follow a live stream of the match while in an ambulance on the way to the Cleveland Clinic in London, where he celebrated victory in his hospital bed with family around him.

“It was a day of mixed emotions,” Lockyer said.

“It was crazy. All week I’d been visualising walking up those steps to that trophy and to end it in a hospital bed is not quite what I had in mind. But I was immensely proud to lead the lads out at Wembley.

“I was obviously delighted but so sad at the same time that after 50-odd games in a season, it all comes down to this one massive game and I don’t play a part in it – and I don’t get to enjoy the celebrations afterwards.

“So it was a hard watch if I’m being honest, but I’m so delighted that the lads could get the job done. It made it so much better for me.”