Paul Heatley injury update after Irish League game abandoned following sickening collision with concrete perimeter wall

The incident happened in the second half and play was held up for over half an hour before the referee decided to abandon the game

An Irish League game has been abandoned after a serious incident where a player collided with a perimeter wall. The match at Taylor’s Avenue between Carrick Rangers and Bangor FC was stopped after Paul Heatley collided with the wall on the side of the pitch.

The incident happened in the second half and play was held up for over half an hour before referee Christopher Morrison decided to abandon the game.

Bangor were 1-0 up through Ben Arthurs’ opener in the 14th minute. Heatley was attempting to cross the ball in the second half when he collided with the concrete perimeter wall at Taylor’s Avenue.

A Carrick Rangers statement read: “This afternoon’s game has been abandoned following a lengthy stoppage to attend to Paul Heatley, who suffered a collision with the perimeter wall. Our thoughts at this time are with Paul for a full and speedy recovery.”

Heatley was a long-serving player with Crusaders but now plays under former Crues boss Stephen Baxter at Carrick.

The manager provided an update after the game and said Heatley had been taken to hospital after the sickening collision with ‘the thud heard all around the ground’.

“The good news is he was speaking to us, he was awake,” said Baxter. “We heard the thud and we were 150 yards away. Thank goodness the board was on the wall to take that impact a little. It was a sickening thud.

“The head is badly split, he’s gone to the hospital now to get that all assessed. There could be neck injury there also, trauma to the head, all sorts of stuff that you’re worried about.

“The medical people here today were superb. I knew immediately there was a problem, I screamed at our doctor and physio to get on. These people went into overdrive. The ambulance people, doctors, physios from both teams deserve tremendous credit.

“Thankfully Paul was awake. His eyes were opened and I was able to speak to them. His wife was there. Our thoughts are with the family.

“He is a strong boy, he’s made of good stuff, he will be fine. We are awaiting good news maybe later on and hope that he’s ok.”

As for the concrete wall around the pitch, Baxter added: “We were in here on Thursday chatting around grounds improvements and funding that will maybe improve our grounds and maybe even take this type of dangerous wall away as we move forward.

“At the end, football is just a game. On behalf of everyone here, we wish Paul a speedy recovery because he is an absolute superstar of this football club.”

Well wishes have poured in on social media with fans praying Heatley can make a full recovery.

FIFA recommends 4-5m buffers behind goals to minimise collision risks, while IFA criteria suggest at least 2.25m to walls or barriers for Irish League grounds.