Jordan Pickford has lifted the lid on what it was like to stand directly behind Abdoulaye Doucoure as he scored the goal that kept Everton in the Premier League and has admitted he’ll “do anything” to try and help the Blues hold on for a victory.
Everton narrowly avoided a first relegation in 72 years despite posting the lowest equivalent points total in the club’s 135-year history in the Football League/Premier League and Pickford – one of seven players within Sean Dyche’s squad to have gone down before along with Ben Godfrey, Idrissa Gueye, Michael Keane, Dwight McNeil, James Tarkowski and match-winner Doucoure – admits he was relieved not just for himself and his team-mates but for the supporters and staff at the Blues.
Asked on BBC podcast Jill Scott’s Coffee Club, if there was a family feel to Everton, Pickford said: “Definitely, massively. Like I said when I first signed six years ago now – I’m getting old – I said it was an easy transition because it’s a family club.
“I feel it’s very similar to Sunderland. The fans are so passionate and I think North East football is passionate.
“We’ve got a lot of staff who have been there for a lot of years who are massive Toffees. Some days it is good, if you get the win it’s ideal; if you get the loss it’s not so friendly.
“We didn’t want to make history for taking Everton down for the first time in however long. Not just for us as players or the fans but also the staff, it’s peoples’ livelihoods, people would lose their jobs.
“It’s a big team effort, a big club effort and it takes more than the players to get it over the line.”
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Everton knew their destiny was in their own hands going into their final Premier League fixture but with Leicester City having gone ahead against West Ham United, they were heading down for the first time since 1951 until Doucoure netted the only goal of the game against Bournemouth on May 28. Pickford said: “To be fair, when he hit it I thought ‘where’s he pulled that from Doucs?’ We had a good first half and it was a bit like the story of our season in that we were doing well but not creating much and not getting an early goal to try and settle the nerves down.
“Doucs produces that and we held on. It was a big relief again, back-to-back relief.”
With Seamus Coleman injured, Pickford was captaining Everton against their survival showdown against the Cherries – the 13th time he wore the armband last season – but whether he’s the designated skipper or not, the England number one is known for the verbal volleys he often delivers to colleagues although he insists he’s only trying to help them. He said: “It’s just me. Kevin Ball was my Under-18s coach at Sunderland and I think the way we were drilled as young kids and how he set his values for us it was very hard work and I’m a passionate Sunderland lad.
“I’ll never change who I am because that’s who I am. To be fair, it’s all for good meaning – I never try and hammer anyone in a bad way – I’m just trying to help the team get a result and keep the ball away from me.”
Pickford was also asked about another aspect of playing style and the kind of gamesmanship that goalkeepers deploy. Brazil international Alisson, his opposite number at Liverpool, elicited roars of laughter from the home fans at Anfield as Everton were losing a Merseyside Derby by mimicking Pickford’s move of dropping to the turf after making a catch but the 29-year-old remains unfazed.
He said: “I think when I was going on my process of going on loans and crossing the bridges for my dream to become Sunderland’s number one – I went on loan six times – we always kind of set what I needed to learn was my game management. I’d like to do a sidewinder and it might not come off and I’ve got 34-year-old centre-halves turning around and saying ‘calm down.’
“When I went back to the drawing board it was all about game management and can you do that better? Sometimes I do take the p*** to be honest!
“At Everton when we’re one nil up and you need to kill time I’ll try and do anything. To be fair I think the referees have been absolutely harsh on me this season with yellow cards, they’ve been on me literally on the edge of the box and they’re just waiting for me to take my time. I’m trying to run, pretend I’m jogging and stuff but they’re definitely on Pickford like.”
