Baggies fan's family let down over inquest ruling

Mark Townsend's brother said the inquest had been an "emotional two weeks"

The family of a football fan who died after a cardiac arrest at a match have said they had hoped for stronger recommendations following an inquest into his death.

West Bromwich Albion supporter Mark Townsend, 57, collapsed during a match against Sheffield Wednesday in September 2024.

The coroner concluded he died of natural causes, but said a prevention of future deaths report would be issued as stewards struggled to locate a radio to call paramedics, causing "unnecessary" delays.

Mr Townsend's brother said he believed "the tightness of the stand" at Hillsborough and "how hard it was to extricate Mark" had not been taken into account. The BBC has approached Sheffield Wednesday for a response.

"I can't understand why nothing has been mentioned about that by the coroner," he said. "In my eyes that stand should have been torn down after the Liverpool tragedy.

"The layout and design of the stand isn't for modern-day football."

All clubs in the English Football League are required to hold a safety certificate, issued by the local authority, before they can admit ticket holders.

Steve Townsend said that the inquest had been a "very tough, emotional two weeks for all the family that were there", and that they had "expected something slightly stronger" from the verdict.

Mark Townsend (left) attended the match with his nephew Matt (centre)

Senior coroner Tanyka Rawden said Mr Townsend had suffered an "unsurvivable" heart attack, caused by coronary artery disease.

However, she said every second counted in an emergency and that a prevention of future deaths report would consider the location of staff with radios.

"Where changes can be made in the hope lives can be saved in the future, then they should be made," she said.

Dr Richard Stones, a fellow West Brom supporter in the away end who had tried to help Mr Townsend, previously described the care given at the ground as a "shambles", the inquest was told.

Sheffield Wednesday FC said in a statement after the inquest that while the medical response time on the day was comparable to what might be expected in a hospital setting, it would be "carefully considering the coroner's recommendation to explore whether there may be ways to further improve the speed of communication on match days as part of the club's ongoing commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety at Hillsborough stadium."