Conor Coady stretchered off and taken away in ambulance as Championship match stopped for nine minutes

Apr 6, 2026 - 18:30

Conor Coady left the field on a stretcher and was put straight into an ambulance in the closing stages of Charlton’s 1-1 draw at Watford.

With the score at 1-1 in the 90th minute of the Championship clash, Coady was left needing treatment after blocking a powerful Tom Ince strike with his face.

Coady was stretched off after receiving treatment for nine minutes[/caption]

Players stood away from Coady as the defender was seen to by medics

The centre-back dropped to the ground, appearing to have been knocked out as medics immediately came to his aid.

Television cameras then immediately panned away from Coady after realising he had been left unconscious.

After receiving treatment for nine minutes, the former Wolves, Leicester and England defender was then lifted onto a stretcher and carried off the field at Vicarage Road.

Coady was then taken away in an ambulance, which was located right by the corner flag, leading to an exit from the stadium.

Fortunately for the ex-England international, Watford General Hospital is located close by the Hornets’ home ground.

An update on the centre-back’s condition is yet to be provided, with the incident occurring on his 500th senior club appearance.

Play eventually resumed, and the match continued into the 100th minute due to the lengthy stoppage for Coady’s injury.

The game ultimately ended 1-1, with neither side able to find a winner after Nestory Irankuda cancelled out Matt Godden’s opener for Charlton.

A draw was not the ideal result for either side, with both needing a win to boost their hopes at opposite ends of the table.

Watford saw their faint play-off hopes dented, with the point leaving them seven adrift of the top six with five games remaining.

Conor Coady has made nine appearances for Charlton since joining on loan in January[/caption]

Matt Godden had put the Addicks in front on 62 minutes, but saw his goal cancelled out 12 minutes later[/caption]

Meanwhile Charlton could have taken a huge step towards Championship safety by clinching three points.

However, the result still saw Nathan Jones’ side increase their gap above the relegation zone, moving eight points clear of the bottom three.

Coady joined Charlton on loan in January after struggling for game time at parent club Wrexham.

He has since been a near-ever present for the Addicks but this was his first start in three matches after dropping briefly to the bench.

Having joined Wrexham in the summer from then newly-relegated side Leicester, this season has been Coady’s first back in the Championship since 2024.

He spent two years at the Foxes after joining in 2023, helping them to win promotion to the top-flight in his first season, before suffering an immediate relegation back down the following year.

Conor Coady for Wolves — Coady’s most successful spell of his career came at Wolves

Prior to this, Coady enjoyed an eight-year stint at Wolves between 2015 and 2023.

During that time, he made 317 appearances across all competitions.

He was later made captain and helped the Molineux outfit secure promotion to the Premier League as champions in 2018.

The centre-back went to win ten caps for England and was part of the Three Lions squads for Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.

Following a season-long loan with Everton in the 2022/23 campaign, the 33-year-old was sold to Leicester at the end of the campaign before his switch to Wrexham last summer.