Trimbrell urges FA to boost physio training (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Trimbrell urges FA to boost physio training

9:57am Thursday 22nd November 2007 in Football By Nick Mashiter

Devizes Town physio Gaye Trimbrell has taken her bid to get better training for football medics to the top.

She wrote to the FA at Soho Square after twice this season having to deal with badly injured players at Nursteed Road.

Two games against Corsham Town had to be abandoned after first Joe O'Chuko and then Owen Dunn were hurt.

O'Chuko was left writhing in pain after suffering a broken ankle and had to wait almost an hour to for an ambulance to arrive. Dunn received a kick to the windpipe, causing him to pass out.

RAF civil servant Trimbrell, who has been with the club for eight years, believes physios need extra training to keep up with the modern game and contacted the association after Dunn's injury last month.

She was delighted when she received a call from the FA's head of medical training, Mike Healy, who encouraged her to voice her concerns about the ambulance services to the ambulance trust and to Devizes MP Michael Ancram.

He also pledged to take seriously her call for more training for physios.

An FA Spokesman said: "We view safety of players as paramount importance, whatever level of football.

"It is something we keep under constant review to ensure the proper treatment and the players are taken to hospital as quickly as possible."

Trimbrell said: "The FA might need to review their first aid training because of the decreasing amount of ambulance cover to rural areas," she said. "We are put in a catch 22 situation.

"I was very surprised to get the telephone call but equally I was relieved that someone thought it was important enough."