Police are investigating other similar M4 incidents after team’s coach is attacked
COVID rules came to the rescue when the Cardiff City Ladies FC team bus was hit by a rock thrown from a bridge over the M4.
The team was spread out in a 49-seater coach, as opposed to the 22-seat minibus they normally travel in, so the rock that crashed through the sunroof landed on an empty seat.
Head coach, James Fishlock, said: “It was incredibly lucky that nobody got hurt, because we were spaced out. Two or three weeks ago we’d have been on a 22-seater and if the same thing had happened it would’ve certainly hit someone.
“If it wasn’t for Covids social distancing, there wouldn’t have been any spare seats for it to land on. If that hits somebody on any part of their body coming through the sunroof and hitting somebody on the head, that could cause serious lifechanging injuries.”
There were 16 players and members of staff spread out on Sunday evening on their way back from their match against Oxford in the National League South, which they lost 2-0.
“We were just driving back all quiet and relaxed on the bus when we heard a massive crash. Initially we thought that maybe a vehicle had crashed,” Mr Fishlock said.
The jagged rock landed between the head coach and a few other members of staff and glass shattered everywhere.
He went on to say: “We then realised it was a deliberate act, due to the size of the rock, it wasn’t just debris. Somebody decided, for whatever reason, to throw it at fast moving traffic.”
Police are investigating reports of six incidents of the same nature between junctions 23A and 24 (Magor and Coldra) on the M4.
The players are all fit with no injuries as Mr Fishlock said: “They’re a resilient bunch. We’ll be back on that stretch of road as we head down to Plymouth for Sunday evening’s game, hopefully we’ll get back unscathed.”
