Nottingham Forest boss Colin Calderwood took time out from his promotion battle to make a very special presentation on behalf of the Notts FA.

Local referee Nigel Prost, who works in the Identification Unit at Carlton Police Station, helped to save a player’s life after he collapsed following a game between two Land Registry teams from the Wirral and Durham, at Thane Road in Dunkirk.

Nigel, 54, had refereed the match and was in the changing rooms when he heard that one of the Durham players had collapsed and stopped breathing. He ran out of the changing rooms, assessed the situation and - along with two other people - began giving first aid to the man.

Between them, they kept him alive for approximately 15 minutes until the ambulance arrived. The player was taken to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham where he was diagnosed as having a serious medical condition – but has since made a full recovery.

Nigel has been an FA referee for some 30 years and currently co-ordinates all match officials at Nottingham Forest’s Academy, as well as assessing the county’s referees in their development.

“I was getting changed after the match when I heard that someone had collapsed," explained Nigel. 

"It was clear that he had stopped breathing so I began Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) with two other men. I’m glad to hear that with our help the man has recovered well."

Nottinghamshire FA has congratulated Nigel for his quick-thinking and presented him with an ‘Outstanding Achievement’ award at their FA Match Officials Development evening.

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