Alan Shearer has revealed he was stuck on a train with Sunderland fans for four hours on Saturday – but he somehow went unnoticed.
The boyhood Newcastle fan and club legend bagged four goals against their fierce rivals during his career, and it’s fair to say he’s not particularly liked on Wearside.
So it’s no surprise he had a sudden surge of panic when he found out he had booked himself on a train with hundreds of Black Cats on their way back from a 3-1 win at Portsmouth.
Recalling his hilarious trip up on The Rest Is Football podcast, the former striker said: “I was at a wedding in Italy and we came back on the flight on Saturday. We had to wait in the lounge for about four and a half hours before the flight back up to Newcastle.
“We’d been sat there for three and a bit hours and it comes up on the board, flight to Newcastle cancelled. I was absolutely raging.
“I go to guest services, then to gate 17 to make sure there were no options. There were two other flights that evening but no spaces.
“By this time they’ve booked me on a flight today at 2:30pm. I’m thinking ‘no, I’ve got to get home as it’s my son’s birthday and Newcastle are playing’.
“Me and our friends were scrambling to think what we were going to do. We look to get the train and they’re all fully booked. Then one becomes available at 7:30pm. 90 minutes to get from Heathrow to Kings Cross.
“There was a lovely lady from LNER who said there were hardly any seats left, but said she’d do her very best.
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“Bless her she got us enough seats. She got us onto the carriages and said it’s going to be really busy as this is the only train on a Saturday night and said unfortunately there’s going to be a load of football fans.”
And as a sea of fans in red and white surged towards the train, the penny dropped for Shearer.
Laughing, he continued: “We’re in coach C and I think ‘oh my f***ing god… Sunderland played Portsmouth away’.
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“I’ve got my cap on and I’m wedged in the corner and on they come and it’s getting busier and busier. There’s not one seat spare.
“The whole of the aisle is taken up with Sunderland fans and they’re all p*****. They have bottles of beer.
“Within half an hour, I’m scared to lift my head up. They start signing the Newcastle songs. Then they start singing the Shearer songs. I can’t even sing the other songs. I had four hours, my neck is killing me. I couldn’t lift my neck up. I had my head down for four hours.
“Half of them got off at Durham and half stayed to Newcastle. I was petrified to get off. There was not one person who recognised me. I didn’t move for almost four hours and I didn’t get recognised.
“They sang and abused me for nearly four hours and they didn’t even know I was on the train. My friend said ‘Al, why don’t you walk through the middle of them and ask them if they want a drink?’
“It was an absolute nightmare. So for all you Sunderland fans travelling back on Coach C. F*** you.”
Sunderland are the only side in the English Football League to have won all four of their opening games.
The Black Cats currently sit top of the Championship after beating Cardiff, Sheffield Wednesday, Burnley and now, Pompey under new manager Regis Le Bris.
And luckily for Shearer, his weekend improved drastically after his awkward train journey, as Newcastle beat Tottenham 2-1 the following day.
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