A POPULAR Halstead Town footballer has described the moment glass from a changing room window pierced his eyeball.

First aiders and teammates had to hold Ricky Spriggs’ eye open to stop him blinking for nearly 90 minutes before paramedics arrived.

The team was celebrating a 3-2 victory over Stowmarket Town Football Club in the Thurlow League First Division on Saturday afternoon.

However the mood quickly changed after one of the windows of the dressing room was smashed by a yob from outside, showering Mr Spriggs with glass, with several shards piercing his eyeball.

Chairman Darren Mitchell added: “I was halfway across the pitch with Luke Nash when someone came running over to say they needed a first aider because someone had glass in their eye.

“Luke ran over as he is a first aider.

“Ricky was standing there with blood on his face.

“He was in shock but he calmed down after a bit and was given first aid.

“We called for an ambulance straight away and sat him down on the physio bed.

“We were told over the phone that we shouldn’t let him blink because there was a visible shard of glass in his eye.

“Ricky fixed his vision on one spot on the ceiling and two or three people took it in turns to hold his eye open until the ambulance arrived.

“It took almost an hour and a half and felt like a long time.”

Ricky, of Tiptree, needed six stitches in his eye and was only discharged from Broomfield Hospital on Monday.

Mr Mitchell added: “It is really not something you expect.

“It put a real downer on the day as well.

“The team has been doing really well and Ricky has been an important part of that, but now he won’t be able to play the rest of the games this season.”

Mr Spriggs, a PE teacher at Ravens Academy, in Clacton, thanked first aiders for saving his sight.

He said: “I am feeling extremely blessed and lucky because if the glass had been any closer to my eye- ball I would have lost my sight.

“We were all celebrating and cheering in the dressing room and then the window smashed.

“I had glass in my mouth as well but I managed to get that out although I scratched my finger.

“It was very, very sudden.

“I can’t thank first aiders Anthea Jones and Luke Nash enough for all they did.

“It was agony waiting for an hour and a half for the ambulance to arrive.”

Mr Spriggs described his terror as he waited for treatment.

He added: “When I got to the hospital I couldn’t see anything and I was lying in the hospital bed trying not to think about what it would mean for the football and my job.

“I had to keep thinking positively and my friends and family were really good at helping me.

“They had to have a specialist drive in from Kent to do the operation on the Sunday – apparently they had never seen an injury like that before at Broomfield.”

Club manager Mark Benterman said a more serious incident was narrowly avoided.

He added: “Apparently one millimetre to the left and he would have lost his eyeball.

“It is a real shame this happened and brought a real downer on the match.

“Ricky is probably one of our best players this year so it is a shame.”

An Essex Police spokesman said the force was investigating the incident and enquiries were continuing.

An East of England Ambulance spokesman said: “The ambulance service was called just before 5pm to reports of a man who had glass in his eye.

“A man in his 20s was treated at the scene and was then conveyed to Broomfield Hospital.”

He confirmed the ambulance took one hour and 25 minutes to attend.