The young football player who suffered a cardiac arrest during a game on Sunday recently had a trial for Bristol Rovers, it emerged today.

Quinton Barham, 13, from Trowbridge, collapsed after complaining of feeling unwell while playing for Bradford Town Youth in a Mid Wilts Youth and Minor League under 14 cup match against Bromham.

He is still in a critical condition at the Bristol Royal Infirmary as doctors carried out tests to deter whether he will need emergency surgery.

The talented youngster had undergone a "positive" trial with Bristol Rovers only a few months ago.

Speaking from his bedside, his dad Paul, 48, said: "He is still critical and still asleep, doctors have kept him that way for now.

"He is still on a life support machine and he is undergoing tests to try and find out what is wrong with him.

"We have been told that his pulmonary artery is in the wrong place, it is in the middle of his two heart chambers rather than going through it.

"Because he was playing football and his heart was working hard to pump the blood it basically crushed the artery which caused the heart attack."

It is believed that the football-mad teenager, the youngest of four, had just scored his third goal when he suddenly felt unwell and complained to his dad of pains in his chest.

Within minutes, the teenager collapsed on the side of the pitch. There was a defibrillator on scene and first aid trained personnel and an off-duty paramedic provided CPR before the paramedics arrived.

An ambulance crew were on scene in five minutes, two paramedics in rapid response vehicles attended within 10 minutes. Wiltshire Air Ambulance landed on the playing field at 3.05pm, carrying a critical-care paramedic and a critical care doctor from Great Western Air Ambulance attended in a car at 3.30pm.

Ambulance service clinicians immediately took over, including providing advanced life support, which re-started the boy’s heart and breathing.

It is thought that he was "unstable" for around an hour before doctors managed to regulate his heart beat.

Cousin Carla Barham, 21, described him as a "football mad Man United fanatic" who would do anything for anyone.

She said: "The whole thing has come as a big shock because he is so young, no one would ever have thought it would happen to him.

"He is just the most genuine kid you will ever meet and if he can't play football again he will be absolutely devastated.

"His whole life is football, if he's not out with his mates playing football then he's in his room playing Fifa, it's all he talks about and all he ever wanted to do.

"He is the biggest Man United fan you will ever meet as well, he absolutely adores them."

Father Paul, mum Debbie, sisters Toni-Anne and Claire and brother Lathaniel are all at his bedside, awaiting the results of a heart scan.

Nick Maw, chairman of Bradford Town Youth Football Club, said: “The club’s thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family at this time."