Troy Deeney relives tragic incident that saw teammate, 18, die of heart attack

Troy Deeney's former Walsall teammate Anton Reid died in a harrowing training ground incident at just 18 years of age. And the icon is determined to keep his memory alive.

A member of the club's centre of excellence alongside Deeney, the promising defender tragically passed away in the middle of training after suffering from a heart attack in 2007. Now, after taking part in a 42km cycle between Leyton Orient’s Brisbane Road and Watford’s Vicarage Road as part of Sky Bet's Every Minute Matters campaign, Watford legend explains how that incident has become a major driving force.

Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football, he said: "My grandad passed away 14 years ago now from a heart attack. His cancer got into remission and then unfortunately a heart attack took him out. And then secondly when I was at Walsall in 2007, we had a young lad called Anton Reid who was 18 at the time. And we were in training.

“He was a really fit, healthy boy, physical attributes his strongest suit. He just dropped dead in training from a heart attack. You know the impacts those things have and you see what it does to the family and the city.

"For me, it really hits home. We all know somebody who has been affected by it."

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As part of the campaign, Sky Bet are aiming to teach 270,000 football fans CPR - an amount they've already surpassed. And Deeney is under no illusions about how many lives could be saved.

He added: “The one that hits home is At the peak of his physical power and to see it happen on the biggest stage and drop down, you’re thinking ‘oh my god, how does that happen?’

“We talk a lot about players but how many times do we see games stopped because of issues in the stadium? I think it’s an even bigger message now."

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Since hanging up his boots in 2024, Deeney has moved into both punditry and coaching to varying success. - his last managerial role - but is not too determined to return to the dugout any time soon.

Deeney said: “I just want to see what the next 36 years of life have got for me. I’ve been through a lot of negativity but right now, life’s great. Now I’m just going to enjoy myself. People don’t like that but I don’t really care.

"I’m just trying to spread enjoyment. Just spread a little bit of joy, you know, that’s what I’m focusing on.”

In an intriguing twist of fate, three out of Deeney’s previous clubs could be celebrating promotion come the end of the campaign. , while Forest Green and Walsall could still be moving up for next term.

After joking that the promotion pushes are solely down to him, Deeney was asked if he missed pulling on his boots - but had a straight-forward answer. “Absolutely not.

“The first time Watford got promoted, Easter was the pivotal weekend. I don’t miss it. I enjoy watching it. I’m kind of cool with putting it away. I had my run. My journey was never meant to be and I had an 18-year career, this is the icing on the cake but honestly, I’m comfortable.”

And while Deeney enjoyed his fair share of League promotions - three no less - there is one other iconic moment that the former forward is more associated with: in the 2013 playoff semi-final.

After Manuel Almunia saved Anthony Knockaert’s penalty, the Hornets raced up the other end to finish off the counter-attacks of all counter-attacks. But Deeney claims the magnitude of the moment did not dawn on him until recently.

“It didn’t mean as much to me up to the last three or four years,” he said. “I was kind of embarrassed with it all. When you look at it, we didn't win the final. It kind of felt like it was all for nothing.

“But now I’ve got a five year old and my girls see the TikToks with their friends. I’m kind of reliving it through them. My son watches it and re-enacts the goal in the house. He’ll score and do the bit I jump into the stands and he jumps over the sofa. And that’s pretty cool actually. It’s only football that can go that low and give you that high straight after.”

In another odd coincidence, Deeney almost became a player just a year after their heroic title win. He held talks with Claudio Ranieri and Wes Morgan as both the Foxes and Watford attempted to thrash out a deal. But a sell-on fee owed to Walsall saw the deal collapse and meant Deeney missed out on playing in the .

Deeney, though, does not feel as though he was short-changed. Explaining the failed move, he said: “I just thought with how Vards [Jamie Vardy] plays with my style, I don’t have regrets, but you do think back and think what if? I would have played Champions League, I would arguably have played for England. But like I say, don’t look back. I had a great run.”

In the end, he remained at Watford - keeping the captain’s armband on his sleeve. It's a funny place to be given Deeney is just the man to wear his heart right there, too. And like everyone else’s, he’s going to do his best to keep it pumping.

To learn CPR in just 15 minutes, visit

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