Leyton Orient led Lincoln City 1-0 before the League One fixture was abandoned in the 82nd minute due to a medical emergency in the crowd; a fan ran on the pitch towards referee Stephen Martin to draw attention; 20 fans sat down on the pitch at the home end to stop the game
Wednesday 4 October 2023 13:09, UK
A man has died after being taken unwell towards the end of Leyton Orient and Lincoln's abandoned Sky Bet League One match at Brisbane Road, the London Ambulance Service has confirmed.
A fan ran on the pitch towards referee Stephen Martin to draw attention to the fact that a member of the public needed medical attention in the East Stand.
The game then continued for less than a minute with Orient leading 1-0 before around 20 fans sat down on the pitch at the home end to alert the referee to the continuing medical emergency and the game was halted.
With the paramedics appearing to give the individual CPR on the side of the pitch, the referee took the teams off the field.
The match was abandoned in the 82 minute, an hour after the initial stoppage occurred and as the fans left the ground, the medical teams were still attending to the patient.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday the man had later been pronounced dead.
"We were called yesterday at 9:28pm to reports of a person becoming unwell at Leyton Orient Football Club, on Brisbane Road," a spokesperson said in a statement.
"We sent a number of resources to the scene, including an incident response officer, two medics in fast-response cars and an ambulance crew. Our first medic arrived in approximately four minutes.
"We treated a man at the scene, but very sadly, despite our teams' best efforts, he was later pronounced dead."
Orient released a statement on X after the game which read: "The thoughts of everyone at Leyton Orient Football Club are with the individual involved and their loved ones at this distressing time.
"The club would like to thank all supporters in attendance at Brisbane Road this evening for the understanding and compassion shown, during a very difficult situation."
Orient were leading 1-0 when the game was abandoned following Joe Pigott's 10th-minute strike.
