'˜It's just something that you do. I wasn't expecting all this attention.'
Luton Town fan Mat Davis rushed to the aid of Keith King, 73, when he collapsed by the bar at the Thatched House on Saturday.
He was enjoying a pre-match pint before the Hatters’ game against Blackpool after his son – who lives in Fleetwood –recommended it.
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Hide AdMr Davis, who was in a group of eight supporters, said: “There were a few of us in the pub and and an old boy in the corner just collapsed.
“I heard the bang as he hit his head as he went down.
“My son pushed me forward and said ‘you’ve had first aid training’.”
The 48-year-old said he hadn’t used his training in years but leapt to Mr King’s aid anyway.
He added: “He was still awake and making gurgling noises.
“I sat him up, then his eyes went so I laid him down and started compressions.
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Hide Ad“Thirty seconds into the compressions he came back. But then he went again. I lost a pulse a minute later and started compressions again.
“Then the police came in with a defibrillator. The officer cut his top off and shocked him once with the defibrillator.
“I told the policeman ‘you do the breathing and I’ll do compressions’.
“We carried on for what felt like ages and then the ambulance came.”
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Hide AdMr Davis said the whole episode from the start to when the paramedics arrived was about 6-7 minutes, ‘but felt like a lot longer.
He said: “The pub wasn’t that busy at that time, but everyone said ‘well done mate’. The landlord came over and shook my hand. We had a few more drinks and went to the game.”
Since then he has been bombarded with congratulations from football fans via social media.
Mr King’s daughter, Zena, also sent a photo of her father sitting up smiling in his Blackpool Victoria Hospital bed.
And on Monday afternoon he had a telephone conversation with Mr King as well.
He added: “It’s just something that you do. I wasn’t expecting all this attention.”