9 February 2017

Shrewsbury Town and Bury football legend Ryan Lowe has been among the many well-wishers as Brian Allen continues to make a recovery in the hands of doctors and nurses at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH).

Footballer Ryan Lowe

Brian was taken to RSH by ambulance after suffering a cardiac arrest before Shrewsbury Town’s 2-1 victory over Bury on Saturday, and among the first to contact the family was their favourite player Lowe.

Lowe, who made 171 appearances for Shrewsbury Town between 2000 and 2005, and has played in more than 100 matches during three stints at Bury, used social media site Twitter to track down Brian’s son David to pass on his best wishes.

David, who was at the match with his dad and travelled in the West Midlands ambulance with his father to RSH, said: “Ryan has won promotion twice for Bury so he is already a legend in our house, and in my father’s eyes he is a far bigger star than David Beckham.”

Ryan Tweeted: “Thoughts are with the Bury FC fan who suffered a heart attack at the game today. Hope he makes a full recovery.”

Following the Tweet, Ryan Lowe and David Allen have been in constant communication with regards to Brian’s recovery through a series of Direct Messages on Twitter.

But it is not only Lowe that David and his family, mum Paula and brother Jon, want to thank.

David said: “Everyone has been amazing, I don’t know where to start, the staff at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital have been amazing.

“Thankfully it appears dad is out of the woods, he is in a stable condition and is already talking about taking Ryan Lowe up on his offer to meet him. None of this would be possible without the magnificent treatment he received since being admitted to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the treatment he received prior to arriving in hospital from the ambulance staff, first aiders and stewards in the ground and the fans themselves.

“The NHS gets so much negative publicity but I can honestly say the treatment we have received at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital has been second-to-none. It’s a miracle he is still with us and a lot of that is down to the wonderful Doctors, Nurses and all the other really caring healthcare professionals we’ve met.

“Everyone at the hospital is so caring, it is obvious they are all really proud of the job they do and that they strive to provide the best care possible, while also being really considerate to family members.

“The way we have been looked after has been incredible; we have been able to stay with dad in a relative’s room and have constantly been kept in the loop with his progress. We have really appreciated the honestly of all the staff and the calm and caring fashion they deliver news that is often difficult to hear.”

Once out of hospital, Bury season ticket holder Brian intends to get back to watching his beloved football team and hopefully watch them escape relegation with the help of the player-coach… Ryan Lowe.