Scunthorpe United defender Jonathan Gjoshe (Image: undefined)
A non-league footballer who was stabbed seven times during a frenzied attack aboard a train last year has spoken publicly about the terrifying ordeal for the very first time. Jonathan Gjoshe, a defender for Scunthorpe United, was among 11 people seriously wounded when Anthony Williams launched a violent rampage on a train travelling through Cambridgeshire.
The incident on November 1 made headlines across the globe, with Williams set to stand trial later this year after being charged with 10 counts of attempted murder. Gjoshe had previously turned down all requests for interviews. But six months on from the shocking attack, he has opened up about the events that left him fearing for his life.
“I got stabbed on the shoulder first”, the 23-year-old told BBC Sport. “I remember jumping over the table, jumping over the chairs. I was just running down the corridor, telling people, ‘there’s a guy with a knife, run, I’ve been stabbed, run, run, run’. I was screaming. I think I was the first person that got stabbed. I felt the pain. But adrenaline kicked in.”
Gjoshe, who was informed by medical staff that the knife had pierced through muscle, revealed how some fellow passengers initially dismissed his frantic warnings as a prank, given it was the day after Halloween.
He sustained injuries to his biceps, shoulder and arm before the train made an emergency stop at Huntingdon. Gjoshe managed to disembark and was swiftly rushed to hospital. “That split second, me jumping over the table, saved me,” he added. “All I thought about was just running for my life, getting off that train. As I got down to the first or second carriage, I pulled the alarm, and was just drenched with blood.
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Jonathan Gjoshe was speaking to BBC Sport for the first time since the horrifying ordeal. (Image: BBC Sport)
“I was thinking I wasn’t going to see my family again, if I died, and that was the main worry for me. Normally I would drive back down to London. That was the first time I got on a train to go back. What’s the chance of that happening? It’s crazy.”
The injuries Gjoshe sustained have taken a significant toll on his career. He revealed he was initially fearful that his days as a professional footballer could be numbered.
“I was very worried [he would be told to stop playing]. Just thinking, ‘What damage has happened to me?’ I didn’t have a clue until I had the surgery. They said, ‘It’s not much from the nerve. You’re very lucky’.”
Following months of rehabilitation, Gjoshe managed to return to training in March. While he is now fully fit, he is searching for a new club after being released earlier this month by Scunthorpe, whose supporters launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist him throughout his recovery.
Gjoshe had earned his opportunity to shine at the former EFL club after being named Corinthians’ Young Player of the Year. Having been granted dual-registration, he was loaned out to Bottesford Town to gain valuable experience and had been representing the non-league side on the very day he boarded the train back to London.
“Obviously [with] everything I’ve been through, I missed half a season… I didn’t get that chance that I wanted”, Gjoshe said, as he remains hopeful that another club will offer him the opportunity to prove himself now that he has recovered his fitness.
Jonathan Gjoshe was among those injured during the Huntingdon train stabbing (Image: Getty)
“I was hoping they’d give me another year to prove that. But unfortunately, I didn’t get that. It’s quite disappointing.” When asked how he maintains a positive outlook following his ordeal, Gjoshe responds: “Listen, it’s happened, it’s life, thank God I’m alive.
“[You] can’t look back at it, just got to move on. That was the only thing on my mind, getting back to football, and hoping I was going to get that chance. You’ve only got one life.
“Anything can happen… So you’ve got to make the most out of it. And, it’s made me push every day.”