THE Chelsea kid mascot who hilariously snubbed Steven Gerrard’s tunnel handshake nearly 15 years ago has signed for Jamie O’Hara’s Billericay Town.
And now Jake Nickless will hope to make his own strides in the game – though has a long way to go to emulate his ‘victim’ Gerrard.
It was back in 2006 before Chelsea‘s home game against Liverpool, where Nickless made headlines all over the world.
Gerrard was captaining his beloved Liverpool, and kindly reached out to shake then-five-year-old Nickless’ hand after the cheeky kid had shouted his name.
But Nickless, with hair dyed blue to support the Londoners, then pulled his hand away shunning the England legend spectacularly.
CHELSEA NEWS LIVE: Click here for the latest Blues news
In his autobiography, Gerrard says it was the only time in a tunnel pre-game that he had smiled.
Speaking to Sky Sports after signing his contract with National League South side Billericay, Nickless said: “It comes around every year.
“I can’t really remember too much about it, my dad put me up to it and when I saw Gerrard in the tunnel it was just instinct.
“When Chelsea play Liverpool it appears on the big screen. I look a lot different to what I was at five, I had blue hair as well so I don’t really get stopped too much.
“My friends tagged me this year on a Twitter page and that’s when people realised it was me.”
Gerrard seems to have taken it as light-hearted fun however, and even signed a copy of his autobiography for Nickless after his mum sent it to him.
Nickless was part of the Chelsea academy before being released.
He turned up at a Billericay U23 trials day, and impressed the coaches scoring twice in a game.
He will now be hoping to justify the contract given to him by former Spurs and Wolves star O’Hara.
SOCIAL MEDIA STAR
The 33-year-old gaffer said: “It’s mad to think he was so small, it feels like yesterday. I remember laughing myself at it.
“I put it on our group chat and said boys get on this! That lad on trial with us, that’s him. They were having a giggle about it.”
“They all remember it as an iconic moment in the Premier League but I don’t think Gerrard will be coming down to watch us that’s for sure!”
