Spireites players help dedicated fan Nial on road to recovery

Nial Brunt, 18, required emergency treatment after the incident five weeks ago, which also left his mother seriously injured.

Nial’s father Glen, who accompanied him on the visit to the Proact, said: “He was taken to the Northern General Hospital and then transferred to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, where he had two separate operations.

“He had a shunt as a baby – which is a bleed in the brain where the fluid can’t escape – and he had to have a bypass put in place so it can be moved. However, this was damaged in the incident.

“He had a big operation to take it out and stitch his head together with around 200 stitches. They wanted to see how he would go on without the shunt but it didn’t work out.”

After dining with the players, Nial was presented with a home shirt by Ian Evatt, who said: “I was so sorry to hear what Nial had gone through and wanted him to have a memorable experience because I know how much the club means to him. I hope that Nial and his mum both soon make a full recovery.”

Nial attends Ashgate Croft School with his twin brother Reece and they will be going to Chesterfield College this year.

Glen, who has a season ticket with his family in the East Stand, added: “We are alright and we are still smiling. Nial has loved meeting the players and management and we really appreciate the invitation.”