Tragedy as promising Wycombe Wanderers footballer Adam Ankers dies after taking ill during match

TRIBUTES have been paid to a promising young footballer who died after falling ill during a match.

Adam Ankers died Monday after playing for the Wycombe Wanderers under-19 team.

Ankers was a student at Henley College in Oxfordshire, an aspiring footballer, and a season ticket holder of the Wanderers, attending home games with his family.

He died in hospital on Monday after becoming "ill" during a match playing for the Wanderers Foundation under-19 team.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Anker's dad Alastair paid tribute to the "devastating" loss of his son.

He said: "Yesterday we lost my son Adam, who passed away after playing football, the sport he loved.

"We love him so much and the loss is devastating. He will always be with us and never forgotten."

The Wanderers will pay tribute to Ankers at a match against Oxford United on February 17.

First-Team Manager Matt Bloomfield said: “I was deeply shocked to hear the news that Adam was taken ill last week while playing the game he loves, and he has been in our thoughts since as we hoped and prayed for his recovery.

“We are all extremely saddened to learn that he wasn’t able to pull through and our deepest condolences are with his friends, team-mates and family at this awful time.”

Mark Gaitskell, Chief Executive of Wycombe Wanderers Foundation, said: “This has been an extremely distressing time for everyone involved with the Foundation as we mourn the tragic death of a talented, popular and much-loved young man.

“The news that he had passed away on Monday has hit everybody hard and we are collecting our thoughts about how, in due course, we can best pay tribute to Adam and create a legacy in his name.

“For now, we send our love, warmth and deepest condolences to his family and friends, and offer the full support of everyone at Wycombe Wanderers with anything we can do to be of help, or comfort at this incredibly difficult time.”