Jordan Pickford reveals he jumped for joy at what he saw Sunderland do
Jordan Pickford will be returning to the Stadium of Light for the first time as an opposition player when Everton travel to face Sunderland on Monday night.
Sunderland have had a remarkable amount of success with their academy over the last decade or so, with a whole host of players either making it into the first team on Wearside or moving on to achieve great things elsewhere.
So far this season, Chris Rigg has seen a lot of minutes under Regis Le Bris, who also afforded plenty of time to Dan Neil and Tommy Watson last season.
However, to find arguably their biggest success story, you have to go back to when Pickford was lining up at the Stadium of Light, and he has since spoken out ahead of Monday night’s clash.
Sunderland’s play-off final victory was witnessed by Jordan Pickford
Sunderland still owe a lot to Tommy Watson for the goal that sent them back to the Premier League after an eight-year absence.
That day in the capital sent Black Cats supporters into dreamland, and had it not been for that win, none of the success that they have found so far this season would have been possible.
Jordan Henderson was in London for the win at Wembley, and in an interview with Sky Sports, Pickford revealed that he was watching while the Toffees were waiting to travel to their encounter that weekend.
He said: “I still had my job to do, I still had one more game left.
“We watched the first 60 minutes in here [Everton training ground], then we had to get over to the airport before our flight.
“Luckily enough, our flight was a little bit delayed, so we could watch the end of it, and I was jumping up and down, shall we say.”
Sunderland fans will give Jordan Pickford a warm reception
Sunderland supporters love to see their own thriving, and with Pickford still starting regularly for Everton and for England, he certainly is.
Henderson’s return to the Stadium of Light was met with a lot of applause and affection for their former midfielder, and Monday night’s clash with Everton will be no different when it comes to Pickford.
The 31-year-old may have only made 35 appearances for Sunderland, but his impact was lasting, and to see him back at the Stadium of Light will no doubt be an emotional moment.
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