For Ben Gibson, football paled into insignificance when he left the Carrow Road pitch after a 1-1 draw against Southampton to news that his newborn baby had stopped breathing.
Gibson and his partner, Ashley, welcomed their daughter Mylie two months prematurely in December, and she has been battling health problems at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital since her birth.
The Norwich City defender and his partner have now welcomed Mylie back home - but Gibson has opened up on the difficulties of the last few months whilst trying to carry on with the Canaries' push for the Championship play-offs.
Recalling that fateful experience on New Year's Day - Gibson recalls rushing from Carrow Road to the hospital after being intercepted by a City official in the tunnel post-match and told he needed to urgently contact his partner.
“That moment of fear just hit me,” he told the Athletic. “I rang her off his phone, and she said Mylie had basically stopped breathing eight times. I went straight to the hospital.
"That moment was, ‘Wow’. It was, ‘What’s going on?’. I should have been there. Ashley didn’t want to call to disrupt what I was doing in terms of the game. I said to her after, ‘Football is not important compared to that.’
“She was sat there with Mylie on her and they call it desaturation of oxygen, she had that while she was on her, she went blue and limp. That was a tough point.
"I was on the way to the hospital feeling horrendous that I was at the stadium, making myself available for the squad, trying to do the right thing but I was thinking, ‘Ben, what the f*** are you doing?’ That was a real tough moment.”
Thankfully, after six weeks in intensive care, Gibson and his family were able to bring Mylie back home. She is now happy and healthy - joining the defender's son to create the family unit he had always dreamt of having.
Ben Gibson dedicated his first Norwich City goal against Liverpool to his family. (Image: PA Images)
The 31-year-old has expressed his gratitude to City boss David Wagner, who has been empathetic and understanding of his personal circumstances over recent months.
“It was amazing and, to be honest, it was unbelievable, seeing our son next to her,” Gibson said. “It was scary though, I’m not going to lie. It still isn’t the same as taking home a normal, healthy baby. We have to feed her in a different position, it’s called a sideline position.
“It was a mixture of everything. We were a little bit anxious, excited, emotional but, as soon as we got her home for a couple of hours and saw our son take to her straight away, all our worries eased massively. We couldn’t be more in love in our family bubble.
“I’ll never, ever forget how the manager was with me over this whole situation. He couldn’t have been any better with me, I’m so grateful for that. I was lucky he was so understanding.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here