Luton Town manager Rob Edwards said he could not enjoy the celebrations of his side being promoted to the Premier League after confirming that club captain Tom Lockyer collapsed during his side’s shoot-out victory against Coventry City at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Lockyer, 28, went down worryingly just 12 minutes into the Championship playoff final with no player around him. He was stretchered off and the club later confirmed he had been taken to hospital and was conscious.
The defender had been a crucial cog in Luton’s tight defence all season as the club conceded just 39 league goals.
Asked if the squad would visit Lockyer in hospital, Edwards said: “If we can then we will. As a group we’re so tight. I’m not sure if 40 people are allowed to go see someone at hospital, so we’ll have to check on that. But I’m just so thankful he’s OK.
“That’s why I wasn’t really able to enjoy the celebrations at the end, because all I could think about was Locks.”
Despite losing their key defender, Luton rallied to secure their first-ever promotion to the Premier League with a 6-5 shoot-out victory following a 1-1 draw.
Edwards said that Lockyer is undergoing tests and that he does not yet know the extent of the issue that forced him off the pitch.
“I still don’t fully know,” he said. “I could see him on the floor and not really moving so I tried to get the players away. I need to try and refocus them. I said after 45 minutes we do it for him, focus. Focus on the job at hand.”
Defender Dan Potts told Sky Sports: “I’m gutted for Locks [Lockyer], he deserved to be there holding that trophy. Hopefully we’ll be able to see him tonight.”
Following their victory, Lockyer’s father posted a picture on Twitter of the defender celebrating in hospital. The squad members held a “Lockyer 4” shirt in the trophy lifting celebrations.