A CORONER has ruled a former footballer died of natural causes despite his wife saying his death could have been avoided if she had been listened to.

Coroner Simon Charlton concluded that Colin Jones, who played for West Bromwich Albion's second team as a young man, died of natural causes.

He said that it was possible Mr Jones did have a bleed on the brain in the days before his death but it would have been hard to spot. He added if it was spotted sooner it was impossible to say what difference that would have made.

His widow Jayne hit out at the way he was treated in the days leading up to his death.

The father-of-three died from a brain haemorrhage on Christmas Eve 2017, after a string of delays, the inquest heard.

Mr Jones, aged 54, died just weeks after going to his GP complaining of feeling unwell and was diagnosed with depression and prescribed with diazepam.

He was eventually taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital on Christmas Eve 2017 but a delays meant a bleed on his brain was not treated for eight hours.

One member of staff even told his wife and daughter that he would have to "wait his turn" because they were busy with other patients.

Tragically, when he was finally transferred to a specialist neurology unit he was brain dead and his family switched off his life support machine.

The inquest heard he started suffering headaches and slurring his words weeks before his death.

On December 22, Jayne, 55, noticed his face was drooping and dialled 999 and an ambulance was sent to their home in Bromsgrove.

Giving evidence at Worcestershire Coroner's Court, she said: "He was holding his head in pain, they were asking him questions but he was really confused.

"They were happy with how he was and thought he had taken too many tablets [diazepam] and he had a headache.

"The paramedic said he was happy that Colin didn't need to be taken to the hospital to be checked over. We were told to just to carry on with the tablets.”

However, the next morning she was so worried she dialled 999 again and this time her husband was taken on blue lights to Worcestershire Royal.

Mrs Jones, of Charford, Bromsgrove, told the inquest: "We were in the ambulance and the paramedic was looking after him and phoned for resus and I thanked them for listening to me.

"I remember the paramedic saying 'where are the resus [resuscitation team]?' But someone said 'no, just put him over there'.

"Colin was barely conscious, he was grey and cold and wasn't responding.

"I thought he was going to die.

"A young man had come over in a pale blue outfit, he said 'we are very busy'.

He said we were in a queue and Colin had to wait his turn."

Mrs Jones said eventually CPR was administered and they were ushered into another room where a consultant said they had found a 10cm bleed on his brain and he was to be transferred to a specialist neurology department at University Hospital Coventry .

Mr Jones was admitted at 5pm but by that time he was in a critical condition.

Mrs Jones said: "Everything was moving so fast, a surgeon had told me it was critical and that's when he decided to get rid of the pressure on his brain.

"But unfortunately it was a little bit too late."

Mr Jones, who ran a successful florist business in Bromsgrove, died after his family decided to turn off his life support machine.

Speaking after the inquest, Jayne said: “If they had really listened to the family Colin would have been taken in 24 hours before. Instead he was just left at home. He was in horrendous pain for 24 hours.

“They could have done so much more.”

“I feel that it could have been a different outcome.”

She added: “I had to speak out if something did not feel right – like listening to the people who knew him the most, his family. Something as simple as that could change everything.”