Father's heartbreak at footballer Ricky Marsh's death in Shrewsbury

The second division match between Telegraph FC and Three Fishes, in the Greenhous Shrewsbury and District Sunday Football League, was approaching half-time on Sunday when 34-year-old Ricky Marsh started experiencing chest pains.

His father Joe, 60, who is manager of Telegraph FC and had another son, John, playing in the same side, said he called the ambulance after substituting the father-of-one.

• Tragedy as footballer collapses and dies during Shrewsbury match

"He wasn't playing too badly but he started clutching his chest and I said I would substitute him, but although he didn't want to come off at first I made the call anyway and brought him off," Joe said.

"He was standing at the side of the pitch but then went down on his knees and that was when I knew it was serious which is why I'd already telephoned for an ambulance."

The game and three other matches being played at Sundorne Sports Village at the time of the incident were abandoned.

And by the time the ambulance arrived 20 minutes later the Westbury resident, who lived just 100 yards from his parents home, had fallen unconscious and his teammate Ben Roberts was performing CPR on the speedy winger.

But astonishingly the ambulance also got stuck in mud on the way to the far side of the field, leaving dozens of footballers to help push the ambulance on to a nearby path to reach the scene.

Joe said: "It got halfway across but got stuck on one of the pitches but the lads who had been playing in the games ran straight over and helped push it on to a little path. It was fantastic to see and the family and I really appreciate it as well as the help Ben gave him."

Manchester United fan Ricky, who used to work as a cook at Dinkys Dinah, in Ford, near Shrewsbury, was taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital but died around two hours later of a suspected heart attack.

Joe said his family, including Ricky's three brothers and two sisters, were struggling to come to terms with what had happened, describing his son as a "loveable rogue" and "super fit".

He said: "He was super fit and it just doesn't make sense. He had a collapsed lung about 18 months ago but the doctors had checked his heart and given him the all clear.

"He used to work at a meat place in town and would cycle to it from Westbury every day. He was always active and loved football, darts and fishing particularly."

He added: "He would do anything for anyone and was a real loveable rogue. He always came out smiling and would try to sell sugar to a sugar plantation – that's how he was. Ricky meant the world to us."

Ricky's mother, Jen, 59, added: "It was just so sudden and we are all still expecting him to come walking through the front door as he always did."

Streams of tributes have also been posted on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook and a postmortem examination is being carried out.

A joint family tribute read: "God sent his angels down to wrap their wings around him and take him home to him and we are sure he'll have them all smiling.

"You have taken a piece of our hearts with you and on your next journey you will never suffer any more pain or worry. Rest in Peace."

The family said a funeral would be arranged in due course.