JORDAN PICKFORD is hoping to help spark some more national scenes of celebration when England play Ukraine on Saturday night – because he wants his Snapchat to be filled with videos of his mates spraying pints around the beer gardens of the North-East.

England head to Rome looking to secure a place in the semi-finals of Euro 2020, and while they will not have home supporters roaring them on in the stadium for the first time in the tournament, the nation will be cheering their every move from a distance.

The atmosphere inside Wembley as England beat Germany on Tuesday night was electric, and the euphoric scenes were repeated in fan parks, pubs and front rooms up and down the country.

Pickford has enjoyed watching the reaction in some of the spots he used to frequent in his younger days, and having received a regular stream of updates from his friends, many of whom still live in Sunderland, the Wearsider is hoping to be able to enjoy another catch-up on Sunday.

“I’ve had a lot of Snapchats from my mates, watching the games in the beer gardens,” said the England goalkeeper, who is yet to concede a goal at Euro 2020. “It’s just nice to see people enjoying themselves again after everything that’s gone on with the pandemic.

“With us performing well, it’s given everyone an extra buzz, and that’s all you want to see really. Luckily enough, I’ve had my family and some of my friends down to the games, so it’s been lovely to see them at the matches, supporting me on.

“But I’ve also seen a few of mates having a few drinks in the beer gardens – they seem to have been enjoying themselves.”

Whereas the soundtrack to England’s run to the semi-finals of the last World Cup in Russia was dominated by a reworking of Atomic Kitten’s Whole Again – ‘Southgate you’re the one, you still turn me on, football’s coming home again’ – the song of England’s Euro 2020 campaign so far has been Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’.

The Wembley crowd enjoyed a pre and post-match singalong on Tuesday, and Diamond took to social media himself today to announce his support for Gareth Southgate’s side.

“It’s a great song isn’t it,” said Pickford, who won the Toulon Tournament with England Under-21s in 2016 while playing with Sunderland. “It’s an unbelievable song, you get to see it a lot at the boxing events, and you see the atmosphere there.

“It was great seeing the families and friends bouncing off it at the end of the game (against Germany), and after a performance like that, it gives you added motivation. We want more of that – there’s nothing better than seeing your families enjoy themselves.”

Pickford’s performances have helped fuel that enjoyment, with the goalkeeper having kept a clean sheet in his opening four games. If he can make it five in a row, he will break Gordan Banks’ England record for the most consecutive clean sheets in a tournament, and having made vital saves from Timo Werner and Kai Havertz on Tuesday, Pickford will be heading into the Ukraine game in a confident mood.

“I feel like I’m in good form and in a good place,” he said. “For me now, it’s just about being consistent and keeping my levels high. I just want to keep performing for England, and keeping those clean sheets is always a bonus.”