'˜I brought him back from the dead TWICE'

Supporter Mat rushed to the aid of Keith King when the 73-year-old was taken ill in the Thatched House in Poulton before the Luton Town’s League Two game against Blackpool on Saturday.

Away season ticket holder Mat, was only in the pub because his son – who lives in nearby Fleetwood – had recommended it for its real ale.

Mat, who was in a group of eight supporters, recalled: “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’...”

That training was through work, but was decades ago and Mat had never had to put it into practice. Nevertheless he leapt to the Mr King’s aid.

The 48-year-old said: “He was still awake and making gurgling noises. I sat him up, then his eyes went so I laid him down and started compressions.

“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.”

Mat, who runs a property management company in north London, 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.

Modest Mat, of The Slade, Clophill, added: “It’s just something that you do. I wasn’t expecting all this attention.”

And his message for Mr King? “Get well soon, and have a good Christmas.”

Luton Town Football Club has paid tribute to his actions. The club tweeted: “Well done...a true Hatters hero on a day full of them. We hope the person involved is well and makes a full recovery.”