Lord of the Dance
England players baffled as pitch invader lines up with team ahead of Ireland clash
Football

England players baffled as pitch invader lines up with team ahead of Ireland clash

A PITCH invader managed to make his way onto the field ahead of Ireland's Nations League clash with England in Dublin last night.

The man, dressed in a full England kit with the number 69, lined up next to a bewildered Anthony Gordon as the teams prepared for the national anthems.

YouTuber Daniel Jarvis has taken credit for the stunt, posting footage of the incident on his account.

The intruder is led away (Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

The incident occurred shortly before kick-off at the Aviva Stadium as the players lined up for the national anthems.

However, the intruder was quickly spotted by officials and led off the pitch.

Footage posted on Jarvis' YouTube account appeared to show him sitting pitch-side in an area reserved for photographers in front of the away fans in the North Stand.

He is then seen pulling off his T-shirt to reveal an England top before running on to the pitch.

Saturday's match ended in a 2-0 win for England in Lee Carsley's first game as interim boss, with goals from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish.

YouTuber Daniel Jarvis took credit for the stunt (Image: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

In a post on Twitter/X, Paddy Power shared footage of the pitch invader with the comment: "Someone come and collect their da."

Quoting the post, Jarvis appeared to confirm he was responsible, writing "Don't worry @paddypower my kids got hold of me and took me home! Lol."

Jarvis has previous form for breaching security at major events, including the Euro 2024 draw in Germany last year.

In October 2022, he was handed an eight-week suspended sentence for invading the pitch during a cricket match between England and India at the Oval in September 2021.

Jarvis has gatecrashed other sporting events in the past, including a cricket Test match between England and India at the Oval in London in 2021 (Image: DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

The judge also banned him from attending any sporting event in England and Wales for two years and from travelling abroad for 12 months.

During the trial, Jarvis' defence council said his client now 'fully realises how serious this is'.

However, shortly after completing the travel ban, he was pictured celebrating on the pitch with South Africa's players after their Rugby World Cup victory over New Zealand in France last year.