Newcastle supporter stable after heart attack

The unnamed fan received CPR from some of the medical staff at St James’ Park before Newcastle’s club doctor, Paul Catterson, sprinted from the dug-outs to assist with the aid of a defibrillator.

Newcastle released a statement after the game resumed revealing the supporter had been successfully stabilised inside St James’ Park before being transported to hospital.

And by this evening, it is understood they had recovered sufficiently to be awake and responsive, with the treatment they received inside the stadium having helped to save their life.

Speaking after his side’s 3-2 defeat, which marked the start of Newcastle’s spell under new Saudi Arabian ownership, Magpies manager Steve Bruce said: “I have to say well done to the supporters who straight away made it pretty obvious there was something happening in the crowd.

“They alerted the players, who immediately responded, like anybody else would. The big thing is that we had a defibrillator and specialists over that side anyway, which has probably saved the man's life, from what we're hearing.

“I hope that's the case. My thoughts are with his family, of course, that he makes a recovery, but all the early indications are that he's going to okay.

“That's where football has got to over the last few years. It's terrific that we have the people who saved his life, and of course we've got defibrillators over there for this type of horrible incident.”

Players from both teams helped alert referee Andre Marriner to the seriousness of the situation, with Spurs midfielder Eric Dier sprinting to the dugouts to request further assistance.

Spurs striker Harry Kane said: “First and foremost, we want to say best wishes to the guy in the stands.

“It was not a good sight to see. It was devastating to see. It wasn’t nice for the fans to see that. But we hear he is stable, so we are thankful.”