PLAYERS and officials of Stourport Swifts Football Club have rallied around striker Rory Curtis after he was left seriously injured in a car accident last week.

The 24-year-old from Redditch had to be taken by air ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham last Wednesda after his van turned over on the M42 and five vehicles ploughed into it.

He sustained a broken pelvis, severe head injury and damaged veterbrae in his lower back.

The striker, who joined Swifts near the end of last season and featured in their opening games in the Midland Alliance, was also placed in an induced coma but has since safely awoken from it. He was in a stable condition in the QE’s intensive care ward.

Swifts manager Rod Brown and his players visited Mr Curtis, who was a youngster at Manchester United and Walsall, last week.

He said: “The good news is Rory came out of the coma on Saturday afternoon. It’s going to be a long haul - he’s broken his pelvis and lower back.

“He also suffered severe head trauma. I think they’ve removed the pin from his head because they’re satisfied with the function of the brain. All the lads went to see him last week and he’s a part of our squad.

“We’re hoping for a full recovery but it’s going to take a lot of months, obviously.

“A football team is like a family. Rory’s 24 years old and is the same age as some of the other lads in the squad and they were quite emotional.”