THE silence told the story. As Jordon Brown lay prone on the turf of the Balmoral Stadium on Sunday after an accidental collision with Aberdeen’s Andrew Considine, it was clear that the situation was serious.

Cove Rangers chairman Keith Moorhouse wasn’t only watching on with concern for the welfare of one of his players, but for a de facto member of his family. The 25-year-old midfielder had grown up as a close friend of Moorhouse’s son, Grant, and both families have been close for years.

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Suddenly, the friendly to mark a landmark occasion in his club’s history, the opening of their new ground, paled into insignificance. The match was abandoned, and fans asked to make their way home.

Thankfully, positive news soon emerged from the medical staff of both clubs, who had rushed to the player’s aid. That was soon followed by news filtering through from hospital that Brown had been given the all-clear after a series of tests and could return home.

But it will likely be some time, if ever at all, that Moorhouse can forget those tortuous moments as the wellbeing of someone he knows so well hung in the balance.

“There were real moments of anxiety,” said Moorhouse. “It was clearly an accidental collision, and he hit the deck and didn’t move. Then when the players got close to him, you could tell by the reaction that something serious was happening.

“There was very much an eerie silence, and all focus was on the park in the hope that we could get some sort of positive signs from anyone that was attending to Jordon at the time.

“It was very, very difficult, very emotional. You could tell by the instant reactions of the players and the referee, and how intense a period of time it was, that it was something pretty serious.

“I could tell by looking at the faces of his teammates how they all felt about it, it was a moment that will live in my mind for a long time.

“There was then a period of time when we had to wait to get some news from the park in terms of what the latest situation was. But thankfully, there were some positive signs that came off pretty quickly, although it didn’t feel like that at the time, that things would be ok.”

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While Moorhouse’s connection to the family made it all the more difficult to process what was happening at the time, it also allowed him to keep abreast of exactly what the situation was with Jordon’s health.

“I’m fortunate that I’m very friendly with the family, and have been for a long, long time,” he said.

“Jordon and my son grew up together. They play golf together during the week and socialise with one another, so there’s a connection beyond the football club.

“For Grant, it’s one of his best mates and he sees him lying on the deck. It’s a natural feeling of concern, of worry, and everything that runs through your head.

“I spoke to his dad when they were on the way to the hospital, and then he rang me when they got to the hospital, so there weren’t long periods where we weren’t talking to each other. Jordon’s brother, Jason, played for us on loan a few seasons ago and now plays for Peterhead. So, I spoke to his mum, his dad and his brother.

“From that point of view, I felt then that things were under control and were going to be ok. Then I got the call to say that the test results were back, and everything was good, and they were getting him home. Then you can obviously start to breathe a bit easier.

“It was difficult, because as families we went on holiday together when we were younger, so Jordon just feels like an extension of the family. My thoughts were for him and his family, nothing to do with the football club, which becomes secondary.

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“A lot of people were upset, but right now, it’s about looking forward for us, not looking back.

“We’re thankful that the news was good on Jordon from the hospital, and now we can move forward.”

Moorhouse was full of praise for all of the medical staff from both clubs who were so swift to attend to Brown, and for Aberdeen as a football club for the support they have given to Cove since.

“The reaction of the medical staff was outstanding,” he said. “Our own physio, Jenni Butler, was on the park within seconds.

“The Aberdeen doctor and physio were right behind her, and they did a fantastic job in dealing with the situation.

“We’ve had support from all over, and Aberdeen have been great. We’ve had support from Derek McInnes right through to the directors. The chairman rang me last night.

“We’ve got a great relationship with Aberdeen Football Club, and it isn’t a surprise to us.”