Lockyer ready to play after ‘long road’ of cardiac arrest

Tom Lockyer says he is ready to resume his football career after a lengthy recovery following a cardiac arrest.

The 30-year-old Wales defender has not played a competitive match for club or country since suffering the cardiac arrest during Luton Town’s Premier League fixture with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on 16 December 2023.

Lockyer had previously collapsed on the field seven months earlier – during the Hatters’ Championship play-off final win against Coventry City at Wembley.

The Cardiff-born defender’s recovery was further prolonged as he required ankle surgery on two occasions in the past year.

“It’s been a long old road, it really has,” the 30-year-old told the Feast of Football podcast.

“But I’m delighted to say I’ve been cleared to play football again so obviously that’s amazing, just everything I’ve worked for ever since it [the cardiac arrest] happened.

Lockyer is currently without a club after Luton, who were relegated in May for the second successive season, told the player his contract would not be renewed when it expired last summer.

Despite that, Luton ensured the former Bristol Rovers and Charlton Athletic centre-back could continue to use their facilities and work with their physios and medical staff during his rehabilitation.

Lockyer has played 16 times for Wales, his last cap coming in November 2023 in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Turkey.

That came under former Wales boss Rob Page, with Craig Bellamy now installed as national head coach and impressing at the helm according to Lockyer.

“He’s [Bellamy] still pretty early in his journey I’d imagine, from where he probably wants to get to and where he wants to be,” Lockyer said.

“That’s probably pretty exciting for Wales fans because he doesn’t think he’s the finished article, and he says there’s still a lot to improve on and learn.

“I think he is a breath of fresh air, the way that he talks about these games coming up and he doesn’t choose easy games.

“You look at the Canada game [a 1-0 friendly defeat last September], it was a tough, tough game, a really good side but he cherishes it, he looks forward to it, he wants that game.

“He understands that it might not look good on paper that we’ve lost a game, but the amount of learning and the amount of progress that can be made off the back of that is really refreshing.”

Wales face England in another tough friendly at Wembley on Thursday, 9 October before hosting Belgium in a World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium the following Monday.

While questions have been raised in some quarters as to why Wales have chosen to play England just ahead of a crucial World Cup qualifier, Lockyer believes Bellamy’s willingness to pit his side against difficult opponents will pay dividends.

Lockyer added: “Bellamy has been quite vocal about the data that he wants in terms of players running.

“I think he said as well that we’d love to play Canada because they’re very athletic and then we get the data.

“What he does with the data I don’t really know but he has these demands he puts on players – you have to work hard is non-negotiable and I absolutely love that.