Deeney froze after horror injury
Walsall striker Troy Deeney admits he was frozen by fear after best friend Manny Smith was knocked unconscious at Millwall as it reminded him of the tragic death of former Saddler Anton Reid.
Smith was knocked out in an accidental collision with Lions' keeper David Forde during Saturday's 3-1 League One defeat.
He needed eight minutes of treatment before he was stretchered off in a neck brace and taken to hospital for X-rays.
Deeney travels to training with Smith and said his injury evoked memories of youth star Reid, who collapsed and died during a training session in August 2007.
He said: "It's not a nice sight. The first thought which came to my mind and a few of the other younger players was of Anton.
"It's just a horrible sight to see someone fall on the floor lifeless.
"Gezza (Anthony Gerrard) acted and turned him on his side to make sure he didn't swallow his tongue, whereas me and a few others just froze and didn't know what to do.
"Manny is a big character as well. If he was injured he'd be making little jokes to let everyone know he was alright, but when you look at him and his eyes have rolled to the back of his head it's not a nice sign."
Deeney was quick to praise supporters at the New Den for their reaction to Smith's injury, as both sets of fans gave the 20-year-old a standing ovation as he was carried off.
He said: "It was quality from their supporters and our fans. I just want to say thank you and I think Manny will say the same.
"It was a nice gesture and hopefully he was well enough to hear what was going on."
Once news arrived that Smith was in no danger, Deeney couldn't resist a joke.
He said: "He's a tough cookie, you've got to get knocked out and have a few stitches in your eye, he's ugly enough anyway, so he'll be alright.
Saddlers' physio Jon Whitney expects Smith to make a full recovery and insists medical teams were trained for such incidents.
He added: "He'll be OK. It's a contact sport."
