Shrewsbury striker John Marquis paid a surprise visit to young Town fan Elliott Thomas yesterday – a 13-year-old boy he helped at the scene of a road incident.
John visited Elliott at his nan’s house on Thursday afternoon, bringing along a Town shirt and match tickets for this weekend’s game against Gillingham.
The striker had been driving along Bank Farm Road last Tuesday when he saw Elliott - a pupil at nearby Priory School - lying injured after being struck by a car.
And without hesitation, John pulled over to offer assistance.
He stayed with Elliott for around ten minutes, offering reassurance and keeping him calm until emergency services arrived.
Paramedics then took him to hospital, where it was confirmed he had broken his leg in two places.
“I was driving along and could see Elliott by the side of the road with another woman,” John explained.
“Further along was a car with the windscreen smashed. It was pretty clear he had been knocked over, so I parked up and went to see if there was anything I could do.
“We waited for the ambulance to come and for Elliott’s mum to arrive, as she works nearby.
"Elliott was really shaken up at the time, so I just did what I could to keep him calm.”
A week on from the incident, John wanted to check in on Elliott’s recovery - and paid a surprise visit to the teenager.
“With Elliott being a Town fan, I thought I would pop to see how he was doing and give him a signed shirt,” he said.
“It was great to see him looking so well because - as you can imagine - he was in complete shock on that Tuesday.
“Elliott has a season ticket and really wanted to come to the game on Saturday but didn’t think he’d be able to with his leg in a cast and being on crutches.
“But we’ve sorted some tickets in the Sovereign Suite so he can watch the game in comfort and stay warm.
“He is a lucky boy because things could have been much more serious.”
Everyone at Shrewsbury Town sends their very best wishes to Elliott and his family - and the club is incredibly proud of John for his compassion and presence of mind.
