EFL clash ABANDONED due to medical emergency in crowd as fan is rushed to hospital

A MEDICAL emergency has seen Bolton's clash against Cheltenham abandoned.

The League One game was stopped by referee Sunny Gill due to a crowd emergency in the East Stand.

Paramedics at the Toughsheet Community Stadium showed multiple bright yellow jackets rushing over to the stand with a stretcher and before performing CPR.

At 15:47, stewards carried a stretcher down the stairs and a light blue sheet was put around it.

Several stewards then ran off the pitch with the stretcher a minute later.

A public announcement asked supporters to remain where they were until a decision on what happens next was made.

Players and staff from both teams were ordered off the pitch following the incident which occurred around 30 minutes into the game.

It was later announced that the fan was in a critical condition and was taken to hospital in an ambulance.

As a result officials decided to abandon the game after a 33-minute stoppage.

A Bolton statement said: "Due to a medical emergency in the crowd, today’s game has been postponed. Our thoughts are with the family concerned."

Cheltenham echoed this with a statement of their own, saying: "The thoughts of everyone at Cheltenham Town Football Club are with the individual involved and their loved ones at this time."

It's the second time in the EFL this season that such an incident has occured.

In early October, Leyton Orient's game at home to Lincoln was abandoned on 82 minutes for the same reason.

Information on the fan's condition will follow.

Bolton headed into Saturday afternoon's game looking to leapfrog Portsmouth into top spot having picked up 51 points from 24 games.

Meanwhile, Cheltenham were looking to collect vital points as they aim to steer clear of relegation, having picked up 23 points from 25 games.

Elsewhere, Reading's clash with Port Vale was abandoned following a pitch invasion in protest against the Royals' owners.