George Earthy’s family went through every possible emotion on April 14, 2024. A day that saw their loved one make his Premier League debut ended with him in the back of an ambulance, surging through red lights to get to the Royal London Hospital.
Earthy, just minutes into his Premier League debut against Fulham for West Ham United, sustained a head injury when he collided with team-mate Edson Alvarez. Earthy’s head hit the turf and the midfielder received medical attention for seven minutes before being carried off on a stretcher.
The incident understandably caused great stress for Earthy’s parents, Paul and Ann. As Paul waits for his son’s introduction in the second half of West Ham’s friendly against Dagenham & Redbridge, he reflects on the events of that day.
“Initially, we thought he’d just gone down with an injury,” he says. “But Kevin Nolan (the club’s former first-team coach) got someone to get us, which was great, but that’s when it dawned on us it was a lot more serious. It was a horrible feeling for me and my wife. When we arrived at the hospital, George had a brain scan and they checked to see if there was a bleed on the brain.
“Thankfully, we got the all-clear. Honestly, West Ham were excellent in how they dealt with it all. The doctors from…
