Inquest into Maddy Cusack's Death Adjourned Again
The inquest into the death of Sheffield United midfielder Maddy Cusack has been adjourned again, almost three years after she died on 20 September 2023, aged just 27.
Chesterfield coroner’s court heard on Thursday that the hearing will not resume until at least 7 December. The coroner apologised directly to Cusack’s family as another delay was confirmed in a process that has already stretched over years.
What was meant to be the final evidence session on Friday has been shelved. The inquest, which opened on 29 June and has already sat for eight full days, had been due to move to conclusions on 27 July. That timetable has been torn up after new material was lodged with the court.
Those documents have changed the shape of the case. The coroner told the court there is now a need to recall two key medical figures from Cusack’s time at Sheffield United: former club doctor Dr Basu and former club physio Francesca Carr. Both are expected to be questioned again in light of the latest disclosure.
The court also heard that the coroner has asked Basu’s lawyer to help locate Sheffield United’s former assistant physio, Sean Bowskill. The court may call him to give evidence, adding another layer to an already complex inquiry.
This is the second time in 2026 alone that the inquest has been pushed back. It had originally been scheduled to begin on 5 January, only for that date to collapse when Cusack’s family received 699 pages of fresh evidence from Sheffield United just 10 days before Christmas. Their lawyers branded that late disclosure “totally unacceptable”.
United’s legal team responded in January, stating the club “rejects wholeheartedly any suggestion of non-compliance”. The coroner backed the club’s position on the timing of its submissions, ruling that Sheffield United had complied chronologically with disclosure requirements. Even so, the case had already been repeatedly delayed through 2025 amid legal arguments over how wide the inquest should range.
Since finally getting under way on 29 June, the court has heard a detailed picture of Cusack’s life and status inside the club. Witnesses have described her as “Miss Sheffield United”, the “poster girl” of the women’s team, and as a “bubbly, lovely person”. Her parents have given evidence, along with four former teammates, her GP, the club doctor and several other members of staff.
On Thursday, the court had been due to hear from Vicki Anderson, Sheffield United’s head of HR, and David Matthews, the Football Association’s head of integrity. Both were expected to play important roles in setting out how the club and the wider game responded to concerns before and after Cusack’s death.
The FA launched its own investigation in the aftermath of the midfielder’s death. Its findings have not been released publicly but have been handed to the coroner, adding to the growing stack of documents that now underpin this inquest.
For Cusack’s family, each new bundle of paperwork brings another wait. The search for answers goes on, but so does the calendar.
