Birmingham goalkeeper Neil Etheridge has thanked well-wishers for their concern after he was knocked unconscious at Nottingham Forest.

The 32-year-old was carried from the pitch on a stretcher after colliding with Djed Spence during the second half of his side’s 2-0 Sky Bet Championship defeat on Saturday, but posted his appreciation on Sunday morning after being released from hospital.

He wrote on his Instagram story: “Thank you all for the get well messages yesterday. I really appreciated them.”

Etheridge lost consciousness after the incident 60 minutes into the game and underwent lengthy treatment on the pitch before being transferred to the Queen’s Medical Centre.

A statement on City’s official website said: “After a swift response from the medical personnel at the City Ground, Etheridge was stabilised before being transferred to the Queen’s Medical Centre to undergo further assessment.

“Thankfully, CT scans revealed no injury to the bones in the head but considerable swelling to the right side of the face which took the full force of the impact.

“Following close consultation with the club’s medical staff, he was cleared to return home late on Saturday evening.

“The club will follow the FA’s concussion protocol over the coming days whilst continually monitoring Etheridge’s condition to ensure his safe return to action.

“We would like to place on record our thanks to the staff at the City Ground and the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham for their quick and effective response to what was an extremely concerning situation.”

City boss Lee Bowyer revealed how concerned medics were in the immediate aftermath of the collision.

He said: “He came off with concussion, because he was out cold the whole time when he was out on the pitch. He has gone to hospital, so he is in the right place.

“Some part of Spence’s body hit Neil in his head and he was knocked out. It was a coming together between two committed players going for the ball. There was no malice there, it was just an unfortunate incident.

“It was worrying because he was not moving. We hope he is OK, we are waiting for good news.”