Sunderland's Jordan Pickford reflects on 'dream' debut
Sunday 10 January 2016 14:28, UK
Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford fulfilled a dream when he made his debut for the Black Cats in their 3-1 defeat at Arsenal on Saturday.
The England U21 international was recalled from his loan spell at Preston, for whom he had made 27 appearances during the first half of the season, and drafted into the starting XI by boss Sam Allardyce for the FA Cup third-round tie.
"It was a dream come true as a young lad coming from Washington and a Sunderland fan," he told his club's official website.
"Obviously the result wasn't the best, but from a personal point of view it was the proudest moment of my life, and for my family as well.
"I have been on a lot of loans and have benefited from each of them. The Preston one really helped me. I'm thankful that they took me, I came back and there's nothing better [than] to go and play.
"I didn't feel too nervous. I kind of told myself it was just another game and I had to keep the ball out of the net.
"I've made my debut now and I couldn't ask for any more. I'll have to carry on working hard in training and keep putting the pressure on."
Pickford, 21, had previous loan spells with Darlington, Alfreton, Burton, Carlisle and Bradford prior to joining Preston in July and now has a total of 122 first-team appearances under his belt despite the game at the Emirates being his first in a Sunderland shirt.
