By Patrick LowmanA GOALKEEPER has relived the terrifying moment he feared he could have been left paralysed after a horrific collision with an opposing striker.

By Patrick Lowman

A GOALKEEPER has relived the terrifying moment he feared he could have been left paralysed after a horrific collision with an opposing striker.

Bury Town goalkeeper Paul Cudworth was left unconscious and motionless face down on the pitch after a freak tackle in the opening moments of the team's clash with Soham Town Rangers.

The accidental collision happened during a 50-50 challenge as Mr Cudworth and the oncoming striker went for the same ball.

Mr Cudworth, 20, was stuck on the back of the neck and was left unable to move in the penalty area.

"All I remember is going for the ball and the next thing I knew I was laying face down on the ground and couldn't move. I think I was unconscious for about 30 seconds and when I came round my neck and back was numb, I couldn't feel anything," he recalled.

"It was very frightening because for a while I did fear the worst. I was drowsy and bewildered and I couldn't really understand what was going on or what people were saying to me."

Paramedics were called to the Ram Meadow in Bury St Edmunds after Friday night's collision and gave Mr Cudworth oxygen on the pitch before taking him to a waiting ambulance on a stretcher.

He was then taken to the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, where he spent several hours undergoing a series of examinations and x-rays.

Mr Cudworth was eventually discharged in the early hours of Saturday and is now recovering at his home in Ipswich.

"It has been quite a worrying time, but the doctors said I have just badly bruised my neck and there will not be any lasting damage. I am very lucky because it could have been much worse – the knock could so easily have damaged my spine, so I think I have been very fortunate," he said.

Mr Cudworth, of Cliff Lane, has been playing for Bury Town since he was 16 years old, but broke into the first team last season and has managed to command the position this term. Despite the nasty collision, he is eager to get back between the sticks.

"It was just a freak tackle, a complete accident. Looking back, it was frightening, but it hasn't put me off playing, although I will probably need a couple of weeks to recover," he said.

patrick.lowman@eadt.co.uk