James Rowberry: Newport County boss reveals eve-of-season heart surgery
- Published
James Rowberry succeeded Michael Flynn as Newport boss in October 2021
Newport County boss James Rowberry says he is "probably really fortunate to be here" after undergoing heart surgery on the eve of the League Two season.
The 37-year-old said he had a pacemaker fitted after being diagnosed for third-degree atrioventricular (AV) heart block, a potentially fatal condition.
The condition was spotted after a routine check-up run by the League Managers' Association (LMA).
"I had to have a pacemaker fitted to keep me alive," said Rowberry.
"I am probably really fortunate to be here in many ways."
AV heart block occurs when the electrical impulses that control the beating of the heart muscle are disrupted. The symptoms can include shortness of breath, palpitations, dizzy spells and nausea.
Third-degree heart block can cause a wide range of symptoms, some of which are life threatening.
Rowberry said: "It was a shock because it is found in athletic hearts. It was something that was a surprise and shock to me and my family.
"I didn't tell the players until a couple of days before the operation.
"It was something I was not expecting at the age of 37, it is nothing to do with football management. It is nothing to do with being stress related, its purely down to something that has been picked up.
"If I was not a manager I would not know I had this, so I am really lucky to be where I am.
"If you don't know about it, you can just go into cardiac arrest."
Rowberry is mindful that he is not alone in the football world in having a heart condition, naming high-profile examples such as Ajax' Netherlands midfielder Daley Blind, ex-Bolton star Fabrice Muamba and Denmark's Christian Eriksen.
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"I don't know the full extent of it but Daley Blind has a pacemaker fitted - look at Christian Eriksen, Fabrice Muamba and [there are] others who have passed away through cardiac arrest," he said.
"With what I have fitted, I am [now] in the safest place possible."
The LMA provide regular medical tests for their members and Rowberry paid tribute to the scheme operated by the umbrella organisation for club managers.
"You only get it (the tests) when you become a manager," he added.
"I have had check-ups before, but this is totally new. I will be forever grateful to the LMA - if it was not for them who knows?"
Rowberry said he felt "horrendous" for a few weeks after the operation, but credited the club's staff, players and board members for their support.
Having followed the League Two win over Tranmere with an EFL Cup win against Portsmouth in midweek, Rowberry felt it was the right time to reveal his diagnosis.
"I did not want to talk about this on the back of losses, I wanted to talk about it on the back of wins," he said.
"That was a tough period for me, we got through it, got to the other side of it and I want to pay credit to the players and staff as to where we are at.
"I am not trying to make this about me, but on the back of it I want to raise as much awareness as possible.
"That is something I feel will be my responsibility now because of what has happened to me.
"I am the fortunate one, I need to raise awareness around different heart conditions and charities that are available. That is something we will be doing as a football club."
The Exiles have seen two of their playing squad retire from the game in recent seasons, due to issues relating to their heart.
Defender Fraser Franks retired in 2019, aged 28, because of an irregular heartbeat.
Mark O'Brien, the scorer of one of Newport's most famous goals, retired aged 27 as he needed heart surgery, having undergone a previous operation on his heart as a 16-year old.
Newport travel to Harrogate in League Two on Saturday.