Partick's Courtney Stewart waited three hours for ambulance after head injury | Women's football

Partick Thistle have given a positive update on the health of Courtney Stewart after she had to wait three hours for an ambulance following a head injury sustained during a game against Rangers.

Stewart was injured in a collision with Rangers' Laura Rafferty ten minutes after her team's 4-0 defeat in the Scottish Women's Premier League at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld.

An update from Partick read: “After suffering a head injury 10 minutes into the game against Rangers, Courtney was taken by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital shortly after 5pm. Courtney remains in hospital but is awake, alert and responsive. CT scans and X-rays were unremarkable.”

Thistle thanked their physiotherapist Alannah MacPherson, the Rangers medical team and St John's first responders for their “outstanding response” and wished Rafferty, who was also forced off the pitch following the head collision, a “speedy recovery”.

Midfielder Stewart added on social media that she was “beyond grateful for all the messages of love and support” while thanking the medical staff. She also wrote: “As Mario Balotelli once said… 'why always me?!'”

Partick head coach Brian Graham called for change after his player had to wait so long to be admitted to hospital following the incident.

“You fear the worst as soon as you see something happening, but you have to give credit to our medical staff, the Rangers medical staff and the first responders because they really looked after them,” Graham, who is also captain of the men's team, said in a club video.

“But she's still waiting for an ambulance as we speak and I think something needs to change on that front,” Graham, 36, told BBC Scotland shortly after the game. “I just don't think we get that in the men's game… it depends on finances, of course.”

“Everyone is trying to keep her awake because she keeps trying to fall asleep. From a medical standpoint, we're just trying to keep her awake while we wait for the ambulance to take her to the hospital and get her checked out thoroughly. We just hope she's OK.”