THE GLAD HATTER

Lockyer admits he's accepted heart emergency may have ended his career & says: I know now I'm lucky to still be here

- MIKE WALTERS

WHATEVER happens in their relegation moment of truth, Luton have already enjoyed the greatest result in their history.

Hatters captain Tom Lockyer's recovery from a cardiac arrest on the pitch at Bournemouth last December (below) will forever remain a reference point in the chronicle of a club who keep defying the odds.

Luton may need to win two of their last three games to stay up and tonight's match with Everton has the air of a date with salvation or perdition.

But five months on from a medical emergency, which resulted in him being fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, Lockyer is "at peace" with the prospect of retirement if he is advised to give up playing.

Baby daughter Mila, just two months old, is his priority now.

The fantasy of being Luton's hero in the relegation battle will have to remain a pipe dream although he can still be their motivation.

Lockyer, 29, was "technically dead" for 2min 40sec before medics resuscitated him on the pitch at the Vitality Stadium.