Reo-Coker will never forget Muamba shock

29 March 2012 07:16

Nigel Reo-Coker admits it may take years before Bolton's players fully come to terms with Fabrice Muamba's cardiac arrest at White Hart Lane.

Eleven days ago Bolton's game against Tottenham in north London had to be abandoned towards the end of the first half after Muamba suddenly collapsed on the pitch. The 23-year-old's heart stopped beating for over an hour as paramedics fought to save his life as he was rushed to the London Chest Hospital.

Reo-Coker, who has been a regular alongside Muamba in the Trotters midfield this season, said: "It might take years for some boys to get over it."

The former England Under-21 international is now making a steady recovery from his ordeal, but his team-mates had to face up to the anguish of returning to the scene of his collapse on Tuesday night in their rescheduled FA Cup quarter-final tie, which ended with a 3-1 victory to Tottenham.

Reo-Coker admits the game was important for the club, but conceded that the horrifying events of March 17 will live long in the memory of the Lancashire club's squad.

He added: "I'm not a psychiatrist, but I think [Tuesday night's] game helped them a lot, though.

"The past 10 days has felt like years to us. It's been such a long period of time. But from where we were on Saturday to where he is now is amazing and we have got to be happy and grateful for that."

Reo-Coker revealed that he felt an eerie tingle down his spine when he wandered over to the place where Muamba collapsed head down in to the turf on that Saturday evening.

"I came on the pitch before the start of the game, I actually had to walk over to the area where the incident occurred, just to get it out of my system," he said.

"There was a tingly feeling down my spine. I really couldn't tell you how I felt when the game went on but we had a job to do and I just had to try and control myself as much as possible."

Source: PA