Club’s manager almost quit football after Billy Vigar’s death

Chichester City FC’s manager has said he considered quitting football altogether after the death of his striker Billy Vigar.

Speaking ahead of the club’s FA Trophy game against Surrey’s Farnham Town on Saturday – their first since the tragedy – Miles Rutherford described the last few weeks as “heart-breaking”.

Twenty-one-year-old Vigar died last month after several days in an induced coma following a “significant brain injury” during an away match at Wingate & Finchley FC.

“I felt like packing it up after that game and not doing it anymore – a lot of us did,” said Mr Rutherford.

He credited Vigar’s family with “making everyone come together” and persevere as a team.

“The biggest thing for all of us now is Billy’s family and doing right by them,” he said.

Mr Rutherford added that the West Sussex club, which had postponed its previous match against Lewes following the incident, had invited Vigar’s relatives and fans to “join in with paying tribute to him” at Saturday’s game.

A minute’s applause was held for the late player before kick-off and his number nine shirt was displayed on the pitch.

“He was a quiet lad and one of the nicest I’ve met in the sport,” Mr Rutherford added.

“Billy was just starting to come out of his shell and his family told me he was loving life and playing football.

“It’s all just so unfair.”

Darin Killpartrick, the first team coach, added that Vigar would “never be forgotten”.

It is thought Vigar’s injury was caused when he collided with a concrete wall, and The Football Association said it would carry out an immediate safety review of perimeter walls at football grounds in the National League system.

Wingate & Finchley FC put a statement on its website last week saying it “intends to install rubber safety padding in the ground once it has received full accreditation from the relevant sanctioning authorities”.

Vigar was a graduate of the Arsenal academy, leaving the club in 2024, and also had spells at Derby County, Eastbourne Borough and Hastings United.

Tributes were made by his former clubs and Arsenal held a minute’s applause before their Champions League game in London against Greek side Olympiacos on Wednesday.