An English footballer says he might not play in the biggest match in his team's history because he'd rather be surfing and celebrating Thanksgiving with his American girlfriend

Advertisement
An English footballer says he might not play in the biggest match in his team's history because he'd rather be surfing and celebrating Thanksgiving with his American girlfriend

Advertisement
Scott Jones/Chichester City

Getty/BBC Sport

Scott Jones says he'd rather be surfing than scoring goals.

  • Scott Jones of Chichester City has said he could miss the club's biggest ever game because he'd rather be out surfing.
  • The English eighth division club plays in the FA Cup second round on November 30, and will face a team five divisions above.
  • "When the swells good, you gotta go," Jones told the BBC.
  • If not out catching waves, Jones says he's likely to miss the tie anyway as he will "probably" be celebrating Thanksgiving with his American girlfriend.
  • "I wish he was joking, but he's deadly serious," Chichester chairman Ashley Clack said.
  • Read more of our soccer coverage here.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

An FA Cup second round match on November 30 will be the biggest match in Chichester City's history.

The English eighth division team was given a first-round bye in the tournament after its opponent was expelled, and now must face either Wycombe Wanderers or Tranmere Rovers - both of whom lie five divisions above - at the end of the month.

Unfortunately for manager Miles Rutherford however, he may have to travel without his star striker, Scott Jones, who comically said he'd rather be out surfing.

"When the swells good, you gotta go," Jones told the BBC before an array of laughter in the background.

Advertisement

When asked whether he'd rather score the winning goal in the second round or be out catching waves, he said: "It's tough, probably surfing though."

To add to Rutherford's dilemma, it emerged that even if Jones isn't at the beach, he'll likely miss the tie anyway because his girlfriend is American, and he will "probably" have to travel stateside for Thanksgiving, which is on November 28.

"Sometimes I play!" Jones, who is club's top scorer this season with three goals, concluded.

Club chairman Ashley Clack finished the interview segment by saying, "I wish he was joking, but he's deadly serious."

Premier League clubs enter the FA Cup in the third round, meaning should Chichester beat Wycombe or Tranmere, it could come up against one of England's biggest teams at the next stage.

Advertisement

Whether Jones will be out surfing for that remains unclear.

Read more:

A referee accidentally scored a goal during a Dutch soccer game, then caused outrage by refusing to disallow it

The 'child' who went viral after being filmed smoking at a charity soccer game is reportedly actually 36

An Australian sports journalist was accidentally charged $100,000 for a bottle of beer during a work trip to England, and he won't get his money back for over a week

Advertisement

An Australian sports journalist was accidentally charged $100,000 for a bottle of beer during a work trip to England, and he won't get his money back for over a week

{{}}