A LEEDS fan has told how he was left with a shattered heel after he jumped into the River Thames to celebrate his team’s escape from relegation.
Johnnie Matthews, 36, stripped to his undies and dived into the water after making the “stupid pact” while drinking with his mates before Leeds’ Premier League game at Brentford, despite not being able to swim.
Johnnie Matthews, in a wheelchair following his accident
Johnnie Matthews jumping in the River Thames
Johnnie’s ankle and foot following the injury
Johnnie and his football pals prior to the final day match, sitting by the river Thames
But he immediately regretted his decision after discovering the stretch of water was only 3ft deep and smashing the heel of his right foot.
Video recorded by a pal captures him screaming out in pain.
And the plumbing and heating engineer is now in hot water with his missus who will have to pick up extra shifts to cover the cost of him being off work.
Johnnie, a father-of-six, said: “I was terrified going into that game, and I stupidly said to the boys at some point during the day, ‘If we stay up, I’m in the Thames.’
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“They were quick to remind me afterwards, but if the shoe was on the other foot, the exact same thing would have happened.
“I then found what I thought was the perfect spot, but I soon realised when I jumped in it was only 3ft deep.
“I’m a plumbing and heating engineer, and I have my own business, so I’m stuffed, basically. It’s really not good. It’s a decision I’m definitely regretting now.
“There’s going to be a lot of extra strain on my wife to work some extra hours and bring some extra money in. I’m guessing she’ll be a bit disappointed about that.
“I don’t think anything shocks my wife when it comes to me. She won’t tell me, but I’m pretty sure she’s disappointed.”
Johnnie hoped to quietly get out of the stunt amidst the scenes of wild jubilation after Jack Harrison’s late goal helped Leeds to a 2-1 win, but his pals held him to his word and “goaded” him to take a dip in the water.
He picked a spot where he thought he could easily get in and out, but his feet slammed into the bottom, leaving his right heel completely “shattered”.
The family man, who owns his own business and has an 18-month-old son, now doesn’t expect to return to work for several weeks – and may even need surgery.
Johnnie, from Farnborough, Hants, said: “The pain was instant, and I knew straight away.
“As I hit the water, I came up and screamed, “I’ve hit my feet.” And that’s the point where he cuts the video.
“I tried to stand up but I couldn’t, I just kept dropping to the floor again. So I ended up scurrying out on my hands and knees.
“Before the game, we were drinking in bars along the river Thames, so we were there all day – and it was the easy option to be fair.
“The football stadium’s right on the river Thames – and it’s just one of those things.
‘I CAN’T SWIM’
“Some fans sing, ‘if a certain player scores, we’re in the Thames’ or ‘if some player scores, we’re on the pitch.’
“It’s dependent on where you are, and we just happened to be near the Thames, so that’s what came out of me.
“They kept goading me to do it, but where we were walking, the water was disgusting, and I said, ‘There’s no way I’m getting in there.’
“And also, there was no way of getting back out, and I can’t really swim.
“So I made a point of saying to the boys that I was going to find a spot where I knew I was confident I could get back out before I jumped in.
“And I found what I thought was the perfect spot – and it looked it.”
To Johnnie’s horror, when he stripped down to his underwear and leapt off a metal pontoon into the river, he found the water barely came up to his chest.
One of his pals called an ambulance, but Johnnie was instructed to go to a walk-in A&E centre as his injuries weren’t a priority.
So with the help of his friends, he took a taxi to a nearby station and caught a train home, eventually getting to a hospital a couple of hours later.
He said: “It was a good three hours after it happened that I stepped foot in hospital – in absolute agony.
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“I’m still waiting for a phone call from the doctors. There’s a possibility I might need surgery, and I might need a plate put in my heel.
“The guy there said you’ve got to look at six weeks for any bone injury, but we don’t know whether it will be shorter or longer than that.”
Johnnie Matthews’s ankle and foot following the injury.
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