Ambulance staff faced a barrage of 999 emergency calls after the final whistle on Wednesday night, as some fans struggled to come to terms with the loss.

Call numbers rose by 15% compared to the same time the previous week with over 1100 calls received between 9.30pm and 4.30am. Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer, Nathan Hudson, who was in control of the Trust, said:

“Almost immediately after the final whistle, the phone lines lit up and we were called to over 40 reports of assaults in the aftermath of the match. We also dealt with a number of serious RTCs and other drink related incidents with people falling over and drink fuelled cases of bravado leading to injuries.

"Sadly, we also saw a number of cases of domestic violence."

Significant cases included an ambulance and a paramedic officer sent to reports of a large fight in Beacon Road, Great Barr. A man in his 40s was taken to hospital was facial injuries and numerous abrasions and a second man, who was being assessed, walked off after becoming aggressive towards the crew.

The Trust was also called to reports of a man who had been ‘surfing’ on top of a moving car in Solihull. An ambulance and a paramedic officer were sent to the scene and a man in his 40s was treated for head and arm injuries before being taken to hospital. Medics were also called to the canal opposite Walkabout on Broad Street at 10.30pm to reports of 16 people having jumped into the water. After assessing those there, they were all discharged on scene. Nathan added:

“The high levels of demand continued through until around 4.30am before returning to levels that we would normally have expected to see. The Trust had put in place an extensive plan to deal with the evening with a large number of additional crews, managers and doctors on shift.  

"The planning paid dividends and [we were] able to cope with the significant rise in demand exceptionally well. I would like to thank all of the staff who came in on days off to assist us.”