Drunken football fans caused a scene in Old Street after the World Cup semi-final defeat – but a heroic 16-year-old girl kept her cool to treat a man after he fell from a traffic light.

Edie Kench-Andrews, 16, had left her fire cadets course at Shoreditch Fire Station and was walking up Old Street when she saw a large crowd outside a pub.

Two men had climbed traffic lights and were waving the England flag and Edie, of Hackney, watched on as one fell head first.

“Without thinking I pushed my way through the crowd to help him,” the quick-thinking youngster said. “My cadets training kicked in and I immediately gave him first aid.

“His head was hanging off the side of a traffic island so I held his head in my lap and kept him still in case he had a spinal injury. I knew I had to keep an eye on him in case he vomited and I needed to put him in the recovery position.

“He was bleeding heavily but I managed to find an unopened pack of socks and used them to stop the bleeding from a deep cut on his head. I tried to keep him calm and talking to me and asked him to keep squeezing my hand so I knew he could hear me.

“The man was dipping in and out of consciousness and the situation was really difficult as there were lots of drunk, rowdy people trying to get involved and throwing bottles. I was relieved when the police arrived and held the crowd back whilst I stayed with him until medics took over.

The experience has only strengthened Edie’s desire to become a firefighter herself.

“Going to cadets and then dealing with this incident has made me realise I want to be a firefighter,” she added. “I think I’ve got what it takes!”

Edie’s instructor Agnes Wong was unbelievably proud of her cadet. She said: “What she did was absolutely incredible and I’m sure many adults wouldn’t have done what she did. It’s wonderful the skills she learnt at cadets kicked in and may have contributed to her saving someone’s life.”

Edie graduated from cadets last week at a special pass out parade.

London Fire commissioner Dany Cotton said she would be inviting Edie and her parents to the brigade so she could thank her in person. She said: “It’s wonderful Edie was able to use skills she learnt at cadets to help this injured man. I’m thrilled to hear she would like to be a firefighter in the future, hopefully her story will inspire other young people.”