Seb Palmer-Houlden once saw a team-mate suffer a cardiac arrest on the pitch.
So the striker admits he had a flashback to that disturbing incident when Dundee team-mate Julien Vetro collapsed in the Dens Park dressing-room last week.
Palmer-Houlden was on loan at Chippenham Town in 2022 when Pablo Martinez suffered a cardiac arrest 27 minutes into a National League South game with Chelmsford City.
The defender was given CPR on the pitch before being shocked with the club’s defibrillator and ultimately went on to make a full recovery.
Vetro was rushed to hospital after his medical emergency before last Sunday’s game against Kilmarnock but was quickly checked over and released in time to return to celebrate with his team-mates following their last-gasp 3-2 win over Derek McInnes’s side.
And Palmer-Houlden was delighted to see “Lazarus” back on his feet again.
The on-loan Bristol City striker, who netted Dundee’s first goal against Killie, said: “Julien was out for a few minutes but thankfully, he’s all right now.
“To be fair to the medical staff here, they were brilliant, they were straight on it.
“After the game, we saw him back in the changing-room – it was like Lazarus!”
Palmer-Houlden added: “When I was at Chippenham Town, one of our players had a cardiac arrest on the pitch.
“It was crazy. It was summer, it was a hot day, and he just fell down.
“Luckily, we had a guy on site who defibbed him and brought him back to life. He made a full recovery.
“That was just like my second game as well in men’s football. So what happened with Julien really took me back.
“Thankfully he is all right. The Killie win was dedicated to Julien and big Mo Sylla, who’s just had a kid.”
Palmer-Houlden’s nerves struggle
At the end of last month, Palmer-Houlden came off the bench against Celtic in front of over 58,000 spectators and he will be playing to a full house at Aberdeen today.
That is something the 20-year-old will relish – in sharp contrast to when he started his senior career and was stressed out at the very thought of big crowds.
He added: “I used to struggle massively from nerves. I think a lot of people do.
“You go from playing in front of a load of parents to playing in front of thousands. I used to be sat there worrying about it.”
Palmer-Houlden admitted it all changed for him thanks to words of wisdom from his dad Simon.
He added: “Me and my dad are quite close, especially with football.
“He just said to switch it, to see it as a positive instead of a negative – it’s excitement not nerves.
“I think that shift in mindset completely changed the way I looked at it.
“I owe my dad credit because he altered my opinion on it. And now I just walk out, feel really relaxed and enjoy the moment.
“As you get older, you get used to it and you want the big games to come now.
“You’re looking forward to the end of the week, playing that game and you embrace everything.
“It’s what every kid dreams of, isn’t it? To be playing at the likes of Celtic Park, in front of 58,000 people. So it’s just embracing every single moment.”
Palmer-Houlden is hoping the Kilmarnock victory will prove to be a turning point in Dundee’s season.
He said: “Yes, definitely. Obviously, going up to Aberdeen, we think we’re going to win.
“That’s what the gaffer really instils into us, don’t fear anyone.”
Dundee will be without the injured Trevor Carson, Scott Fraser, Joe Shaughnessy and Charlie Reilly.
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