How Gillingham goalkeeper George Howard’s career was ended by a car crash but being a player probably saved his life

Because he was so fit, Howard's heart 'kept pumping through the coma'

George Howard has gone into sales to pay the bills while he does his coaching courses (Micha Theiner)

When George Howard woke up he was confused. Why were his parents by his bed? Why were photos of his godson and best friend there? The recollection that he was on holiday in South Africa only made him more perplexed. Then he felt a bandage around his head, saw he was in a hospital, and realised something bad had happened.

His parents also had questions. Howard, then 20, had been in a coma for 17 days with severe injuries, notably to the head, having been involved in a car crash. Was he brain-damaged? That is what the photos were for. Did he recognise the people in them?

To their relief he did. In fact, Howard recalled: “I came round good as gold.” But he had another question, one for the doctors. Howard was a goalkeeper, part of the Gillingham squad that won the League Two title under Martin Allen in 2013. “The first thing I asked was: ‘Can I play again?’ They said: ‘We don’t know yet.’”

It was another seven weeks before an answer came. By then, Howard was back in England under the care of King’s Hospital, London. Following further surgery he was told that another blow to the head could inflict brain damage, or kill him.

“I never stopped thinking I would play again until after that last operation,” said Howard. “I looked into it: ‘Should I? Shouldn’t I?’ I wanted to play, my mum and dad did not want me to. The doctors had a big meeting, they said: ‘No, another blow would be fatal’. I thought it would not be fair on my partner, or my parents, to go through it all again. If I did have kids down the line it would not be fair if, having been told not to play, I went and played and ended up in a wheelchair, or worse.”

It was a devastating blow for someone who had dedicated his life to being a professional footballer. Born in Rainham, Kent, Howard was signed as a scholar at 16 by Charlton. He moved on to Bromley, then Gillingham. At the time of the accident he was out of contract but about to sign with a new club. “I was going somewhere good, but I don’t really want to say where as it just winds me up even more,” he said

It is a rare moment of self-pity. I met Howard on an Football Association coaching course, it was 15 months since his accident and in that time Howard had got on with life. He is working his way through his FA and Uefa coaching qualifications and he has taken a job in sales to pay the bills and found, to his surprise, he is enjoying it.

“I am getting on with my life,” he said, “it is pointless looking back. There has been some depression that I can’t play, it is like snatching a kid’s toy away, but there’s more to life than playing football. It has opened my eyes up massively. Let’s be realistic. I should be dead.”

Indeed, if he had not been a footballer he probably would be. “I had a collapsed lung, infected foot and infected throat, but the major problem was a fractured skull. I had three bleeds on the brain. The doctors in South Africa said if I was not so fit I would probably have died. When they arrived my parents were told I had 24 hours to live, but because I was so fit my heart just kept pumping through the coma. All the running [former Gillingham manager] Martin Allen made us do got me through it, and helped me recover quicker.”

Howard was on holiday with two former Charlton team-mates, Joe Pigott and Morgan Fox. After spending time in Cape Town they were near George when the accident happened. Howard doesn’t know the details. He cannot remember the evening, which is not uncommon in victims of serious trauma. And he doesn’t really want to know. What is the point? It’s gone. He can’t change it now. “We don’t tend to talk about it. We are good mates still, but it’s like, ‘just leave it’. They’re still playing, they’re doing well and I’m glad for them, but we don’t talk about it. It’s mutual.”

The support, from friends and the football community, also boosted Howard. When the insurance company quibbled about paying the medical costs, friends set up a fund-raising website that quickly raised £14,000. This included a match featuring England international, and former Charlton scholar, Jonjo Shelvey. Several players from his old club also featured, with Howard stressing how helpful Gills chairman Paul Scally and Peter Taylor, the manager at the time, were. When the insurance company agreed to pay the fees, which would rise to £100,000, the cash financed the travel and accommodation expenses of Howard’s family.

On our FA course Howard had spoken eloquently about the sacrifices required to play professional sport. Despite having his career cut down just as all the things he missed out on were about to bear fruit, he has no regrets. “I wanted to be a professional footballer and I was,” Howard said. Asked if the glass is half-full or half-empty, he said: “The glass is full, I am still alive.”