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David Busst (pronounced Boost) (born 30 June 1967 in Birmingham) is a former English footballer and current football community officer and coach.

Busst played as a defender, and started his career at non-league Moor Green F.C., before moving to Coventry City in 1991.^[1] A solid and well-respected defender, Busst was good enough to play over 50 times for the Premiership side and become a regular, though he never represented his country.

His playing career came to a tragic end on April 8, 1996 for Coventry, against Manchester United. Two minutes into the match, Busst collided with United players Denis Irwin and Brian McClair, resulting in extensive fractures to both the tibia and fibula of his right leg.^[2] The match had to be delayed for 15 minutes while the blood was cleaned off the pitch. It is reputed that Manchester United's goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel vomited on the pitch upon seeing the injury and had to have counselling afterwards, along with a number of other players. It is commonly regarded as the worst single injury ever witnessed in the Premiership's history, made even more tragic because Busst was in the running for an England squad call-up at the time.

Busst's injuries were so bad that he at one point ran the risk of having his leg amputated.^[3] Despite having 26 operations, Busst remained a member of the Coventry squad but never played again and retired from the game following advice from his doctors on 6 November 1996 at the age of 29.

His testimonial played in May, 1997 against Manchester United, was a sell-out.^[3]

Since his retirement, he has worked for Coventry's backroom staff, working for their 'Football in the Community' programme, of which he is now director.^[4] In the meantime, he has also trained as a coach, earning several UEFA coaching badges. Busst went on to manage non-league Evesham United, having previously taken charge of Solihull Borough. He currently acts as defensive cover for Highgate United of the Midland Combination Premier Division as his brother, Paul, is the club's assistant manager.

References and Notes

Wiki Source

References ^ Soccerbase Entry (html) (English). Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. ^ Davies, Christopher (1996-04-09). Cantona keeps United on top as Busst injury casts shadow (html) (English). The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. ^ a b Philip, Robert (2005-01-18). Busst counts his blessings and looks ahead (html) (English). The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. ^ Football in the Community (html). Coventry City F.C. website]] (2007-09-24). Retrieved on 2007-10-18.

 

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