Nottingham Forest defender Steve Cook has thanked paramedics after his dad suffered a cardiac arrest shortly before Tuesday evening's crucial game against Bournemouth.
The Cherries defeated promotion rivals Forest 1-0 at the Vitality to secure their place in the Premier League. Bournemouth have now ended their two-year wait for a return to the big time, while two-time European champions Forest will compete in the play-offs.
Cook, who started the game for Forest, praised paramedics for saving his dad's life. The 31-year-old left Bournemouth for Forest earlier this season but is regarded as a legend at the Vitality, making 388 appearances in all competitions during a 10-year spell.
"First of all a big congratulations to Bournemouth on promotion," tweeted Cook. "But tonight I need to thank the paramedics at the game. Unfortunately my dad suffered a cardiac arrest just before the game and they managed to bring him back to life. I’ll forever be grateful for their actions."
A supporter replied: "We saw it happen mate. Full credit to the stewards, paramedics and police... there is a Forest fan who deserves a huge amount of credit, too. Don't know who she was, but she stayed with him all the time and looked to me to have given the initial help."
Replying to that message, another fan wrote: "That was my daughter Abigail. Luckily for Mr Cook she's a nurse and was in the right place at the right time. To say we are so proud of her doesn't come close."
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Bournemouth achieved promotion thanks to Kieffer Moore's superb late strike. The result leaves the Cherries six points clear of Forest in third with just one game to go. Fulham, who are five points clear at the top, have been confirmed as champions.
Forest and Huddersfield will compete in the play-offs. They will be joined by two of Sheffield United, Luton, Middlesbrough and Millwall. Barnsley, Peterborough and Derby have all suffered relegation from the Championship.
"First and foremost I'm delighted for the fans, and my players," said Bournemouth manager Scott Parker at full-time. "They deserve this position. It means a lot. We never had control in the first-half, and we didn't want a basketball match.
"We spoke about control and calm and process. We didn't execute the game plan and in the second half we showed our dominance. This group is a young team, learning their trade in a promotion task. One thing about this group, if we need a result we dig deep and find it."
Bournemouth winger Ryan Christie added: "It's mad, it's such a long season and it comes down to one game. I've not really slept this week. The first-half was emotional. Then we had a moment of magic from Kieffer and we're in the Premier League.
"We were told to calm down and take the emotion out of it. We brought control second-half and as soon as we got the goal it was about keeping them out. That was the longest eight minutes [of added time]. We'll have a good few days now I'm sure."
