Exclusive by Robert Wheeler
Christian Edwards – the mastermind behind Cardiff Met’s journey into European football – will return to the dug-out today (Saturday), just two weeks after a suspected heart attack.
The former Swansea City defender and current Cardiff Met FC manager was taken ill during a training session a fortnight ago, but is now looking ahead to getting back on the touchline.
His side host Pontypridd this afternoon, in the third round of the Welsh Cup.
Edwards, who is also a lecturer in sports coaching at the university, says he’s now recovered and is back on campus.
The 44-year-old has even joked that it was the stress from all the students’ academic modules that caused the scare – although he also admits he has learned a vital lesson about the value of reporting health issues to a doctor.
Speaking for the first time about the incident, the manager wanted to clear things up.
“Cardiologists ruled that out – a heart attack,” he said.
“The heart is fine, but the muscles around the heart were the issue. It’s about making sure that I become more active, doing the right things and three points every Saturday will keep me happy.
“That Thursday, I was teaching and was told by fellow staff to get it checked out. But, being stubborn, I didn’t do that.
“The pain was there all day. I went to training and it hit like a thunderbolt!
“It was excruciating pain, on a scale of one to 10 on how painful it was, I would say 12. The pain was ongoing, like a vice-like grip on my chest that kept squeezing and it became harder to breath.”
This was just two days before Cardiff Met’s Welsh Premier League victory over Cefn Druids. Edwards was not at that game or at their following league game against Carmarthen.
But the manager was back at training this week, although her has been taking a back seat.
“It’s being conscious of what I can and can’t do. I have been trying my hardest not to shout, rant and rave in the dressing room but I can’t help but step in and correct something or offer a piece of advice.
“I went to the game on Tuesday (away to Cefn Druids) and sat in the stands but I’ll be back in the dugout for the next one.
“It’s something I have to be very open about, obviously, with the ‘man-thing’ of not speaking out about problems. I had been feeling pains in my chest for about four or five weeks but I just got on with it.”
When asked about men not talking about problems he added: “I think, as men, we hide a lot of things, but we’re living in an era of well-being.
“People are afraid at times to talk about things. Trying to tell people in general that they can talk about problems can be difficult.
“I wasn’t embarrassed about it – I just didn’t feel like it was a problem. But I have learnt next if it does happen again to do something about it. I can react differently and go and see a specialist, but, hopefully, there won’t be another time.
With manager Christian Edwards absent from today’s game, son Isaac took the post match team talk 👀 #twoofakind pic.twitter.com/tAFxxiQyuQ
— Cardiff Met Uni FC (@CardiffMetFC) November 23, 2019
Despite such a life-threatening incident Edwards is keen to look ahead.
“My wife’s been saying I can’t keep going on about it. She said, ‘there’s nothing wrong with your heart – it’s been all checked out – just get on with things’.
“I’m not going to labour on this – it’s time to move forward and do the best for the team.”
It’s often said that health scares put life, and all its apparent concerns, into perspective and Edwards adds: “Everybody told me about that.
“Obviously, family comes first but I have a second family that is football and it would be hard to stop doing something that you love so much.
“But if someone did say, ‘ you have to give it up’ then I would have to do that.
“My family is important. My wife and my three young kids – my time is devoted to them – and that is what I would have to do.”