Pickford could be in trouble after latest incident

Jordan Pickford is a diehard Sunderland supporter and it appears his kryptonite is Newcastle fans.

During the Everton game on Tyneside last month he appeared to lose his cool when goaded on by the Toon supporters, and now over the weekend he again he got involved with fans, this time off the pitch.

Pickford was back at home in the Northeast enjoying the evening out with his fiancee and it appears that a number of Newcastle fans were taunting him. At first the goalkeeper appeared to be taking it all in his stride taking pictures with fans, but when the couple moved on to another bar, things seemed to escalate, especially when the abuse turned towards his fiancee Megan Davison.

While there appear to be numerous pictures and videos in social media, it’s difficult to build a full picture of what transpired before and after that, but it looks like Pickford started throwing punches before being dragged away by three men, presumably friends of his.

Per Sportsmail, here is an account from an observer -

“Someone verbally abused Jordan’s partner and he flipped. He went for him but did not hit him and the video looks worse than it actually was. The whole thing was over in six or seven seconds.

“But there is no sugar-coating this, Jordan had been drinking and that probably didn’t help in that he’s reacted to the abuse. He is not happy that he got himself in that situation. Jordan had been mixing happily with fans before that and there was no issue until someone targeted his partner.”

Everton have released a generic statement saying that they will be looking into the matter.

Additionally, the local police have said through a spokesperson -

“Police received a report of a disturbance involving a large group of individuals. Enquiries are ongoing to determine the circumstances and locate those involved.”

This is not a good look for Pickford, even though his reactions can be somewhat understood considering the abuse targeted at his partner. Having already lost his cool once at St. James Park, this latest incident will certainly give rise to some concerns from Marco Silva and Gareth Southgate respectively.

After a relatively quiet first season at Everton, this year has seen the media spotlight firmly on the player after his exploits at the summer’s World Cup, and the glare doesn’t dim from here.

Former great Neville Southall, no less a maverick himself, has come out in support of the player especially after the howler at Anfield gave Liverpool the three points in the first leg of the Merseyside Derby, but manager Marco Silva has also stood by his man throughout.

The 25-year-old’s agent has confirmed that the person in the videos is indeed Pickford, wile the Telegraph add that a source close to the player said -

“No one wants to see that kind of thing but it wasn’t as bad as it may have looked, it was over in 10 seconds.

“He was trying to have a drink and enjoy the match, people were goading him and there was a brief flare-up.”

The match in question was Sunderland losing to Portsmouth at Wembley in the final of the Checkatrade Trophy, with Pompey lifting the trophy on penalties.