World Cup 2018: England goalkeeper coach working with Jordan Pickford has bizarre ice cream superstition
Martyn Margetson must have a vanilla ice cream on matchday – a trick that helped when he was on the coaching staff for Wales’ semi-final run at Euro 2016
WELSHMAN Martyn Margetson makes sure England’s shootout hero Jordan Pickford keeps cool when the heat is on.
And the one-time Manchester City and Cardiff No 1 is sure to be eating a vanilla ice cream today — carrying on a superstition from Wales’ stunning Euro 2016 run.
Three Lions’ goalkeeping coach, 46, was part of Chris Coleman’s backroom team when Wales made the semi-finals in France two years ago.
Margetson linked up with Sam Allardyce when he became England boss in 2016 and stayed on when Gareth Southgate took over.
Dr Ryland Morgans, who was Wales head of performance until earlier this year, revealed: “Marge is a professional and passionate guy.
“He provides excellent detail on goalkeeper positioning and movement as well as defending the set-pieces.
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“He was given the responsibility by Chris Coleman during the Euros for defending at corners.
“So you would see him in the technical area telling the subs exactly where to be and who to mark when they were called upon in France.
“He loves a coffee but it has to be very hot. He snores like a train and is grumpy in the mornings . . . and he has to have vanilla ice cream on a matchday. It’s a superstition!”
Margetson, who also played at Huddersfield and Southend — and won one Welsh cap — during a 15-year playing career spends hours with Pickford, Jack Butland and Nick Pope working to improve their positioning at set plays.
Yerry Mina’s injury-time leveller for Colombia in Tuesday’s last-16 clash was the first England have conceded from a corner since Russia’s injury-time equaliser in a 1-1 draw in the Euro 2016 opener.
All three keepers have an input and both Butland and Pope did research on Colombia’s penalty-takers before Pickford’s save helped Three Lions to Tuesday’s historic shootout victory in Moscow.
Margetson was first brought into international football with Wales by Gary Speed but he quit in 2011 to join Allardyce at West Ham.
He remained part of the England set-up but also worked with Allardyce at Crystal Palace and Everton — which is when he started working with Pickford.
Now, having left Everton at the end of the season along with Allardyce, Margetson is hoping to land another Prem club — and the ultimate dream will be to have a World Cup win on his CV.