Irish League star thanks club physio after quick actions help midfielder recover from 'scary moment' which left him choking on the pitch

On the stroke of half-time, Smith went down forcefully at Wilgar Park with a knock between his shoulder blades causing a serious situation as Harwood and Institute medical staff treated him before leaving the pitch on a stretcher.

The 27-year-old, who made the move to Championship outfit Dundela from Ballymacash Rangers last summer and has played a part in 23 of their 24 league outings this term, has since recovered and is thankful for all those that helped him.

"I went up for a header and I can’t really remember much from that,” said Smith. “I do remember opening my eyes and our physio saying ‘it’s me, Andy’ and something came over me telling I was ok.

"After I came around, it sunk in how much of a scary moment it was and if it wasn’t for Andy I would have been in a worse place.

"I can’t thank him enough and hope his finger is ok – apparently I’ve given him a nasty bite during it all!

"I want to say a big thank you also to the stewards, the staff and everybody who helped. I’m good as gold now, just slightly sore.

"The highlight was when I came out and the boys got the job done with fantastic heart. What a club. I’m forever grateful and again, I thank you Andy.”

Harwood added: “He got a knock between his shoulder blades and he hit the ground – this resulted in his tongue folding over his airway, causing him to choke.

"I had to clear his airways and do all necessary checks after leaving the pitch just to make sure he was comfortable and safe.

"He was quite shaken so we made sure he took his time to relax and feel comfortable.

"I’d like to thank the Institute physio for his help during the process.”

Smith’s incident is another reminder of just how crucial medical staff are at Irish League grounds with a Linfield steward receiving quick attention after falling ill at The Oval on Friday evening.

Glentoran goalkeeper Daniel Gyollai, who ran into the stand with a defibrillator to assist, has been hailed a hero by the steward’s family and says instinct took over.

"It was just the fact that I'd seen the doctor and the physiotherapists run across the pitch and then a little while later I saw the ambulance staff coming over,” he told BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster. "Then I just saw the little red defib box in the lady's hand [one of the ambulance staff] and I thought 'if there's something wrong the first thing that's going to be needed is the defib'.

"I ran over, grabbed it out of her hand and got there as soon as possible and made sure that if it was needed it got there asap and gave it to someone who was qualified to use it and to make sure the person was ok.

"The main thing is that he was ok, whether it was me, whether it was the extra oxygen, the fans who helped him up, the main thing is that everyone came together, put rivalries aside and tried to help this man as best as possible.

"Having seen a few unfortunate incidents at games in recent years you just see the red box coming across and you just think 'that could be crucial to saving someone's life' and getting it to him as soon as possible was my main priority.

"I just ran into the stand, gave it to the person who was closest and went back onto the pitch, just hoping the man was ok."