On a winger and a prayer

THE Tilford Zebras will be missing their gun striker after high-profile soccer player Martine Delaney was sidelined by a heart attack.

Delaney was felled while playing at KGV oval earlier this month – but help was at hand as a teammate began a sustained bout of CPR.

Delaney, well known as a transgender advocate as well as for her long football career, was recovering in the Royal Hobart Hospital last week, surrounded by flowers from well-wishers.

‘‘I can’t remember anything. All I know is that I’d done a nice pass and a goal was scored and then I fell over,’’ she said.

‘‘I was told [teammate] Kate Chambers pumped my chest until the ambulance got there, which I was told was 10 or 15 minutes. They apparently defibrillated me three times before my heart decided to fire up.

‘‘I’m incredibly lucky. If it had happened at home it might have ended differently. But I had someone like Kate, who’s a highly trained police officer and is incredibly determined.’’

Delaney, 55, had two heart attacks 11 years ago.

‘‘It’s a warning for people to think about your diet, stop eating rubbish and throw away the cigarettes,’’ she said.

‘‘I had smoked a few cigarettes recently and that all adds to it.’’

Delaney started playing 40 years ago for Metro Claremont and now plays for the Zebras or their reserves, as she was on the day of the heart attack.

‘‘I’d love to keep playing but I think this could be the end of my soccer career,’’ she said.

‘‘Someone said the coach was disappointed about losing his gun striker.’’

Delaney had an MRI and was surprised at how confronting it was – temporarily made worse by the soundtrack playing on the headphones she was given. ‘‘It was American music. I asked for Australian,’’ she said.