Preston striker Jermaine Beckford calls for woman who stole his shirt from a young fan to hand it over

Eight-year-old Ted Dockray caught Jermaine Beckford’s shirt at Wembley
Beckford had thrown his shirt into the crowd after scoring a hat-trick for Preston in the League One play-off final win over Swindon
An adult woman stole the shirt from Ted’s grasp, leaving him ‘in bits’
Beckford has called for the woman to return the shirt immediately

Published:
18:11 GMT, 25 May 2015

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Updated:
20:39 GMT, 25 May 2015

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On-loan Preston striker Jermaine Beckford has called on the woman who grabbed his match shirt on Sunday to return it to the young boy it was intended for.

Beckford threw his shirt to a group of children in the Wembley crowd after scoring a hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Swindon in the League One play-off final.

But television footage showed it was quickly snatched by an adult. The child was later identified as eight-year-old Ted Dockray and a Facebook page was set up to locate the shirt, while there have also been reports that the item was offered for £1,500 on the Gumtree website. It is not known if it was a genuine advert.

Over it goes: Jermaine Beckford throws his shirt towards a group of children in the Wembley Stadium stands

Got it: Eight-year-old Ted Dockray (in yellow) manages to catch the Preston North End hat-trick hero’s shirt

Argument in the stands: The unknown woman (in pink) then goes to grab it from him as a steward intervenes

Beckford said: ‘That is a shame (the shirt was taken), if I am honest. I did it out of good will.

‘I assumed it would go to a good home with someone who was able to enjoy the game. Hopefully it gets back to the kid.’

The woman who appeared to grab the shirt has been identified as mother-of-two Vickie Timbrell, but she says the incident was all a ‘misunderstanding’.

She said: ‘People have made me out to be an absolute idiot. I will be speaking to the family, I actually know them, they’re friends.’

She also wrote on Facebook: ‘Can I just say thank you to everyone for all the support and texts.

‘I’m not commenting on the c**p they’ve written because I’m taking this further. It’s all wrong and twisted. My side of the story will soon come out.’

Shock: Ted, from Failsworth, Manchester, attended the game with his family and was said to be ‘in bits’

Upset: Ted (top right) ran towards his father Martin after the woman seemed to grab the shirt for her daughter

Three goals: Beckford (left) became only the third player ever to score a hat-trick in a play-off final

Online: The advert for the shirt was later posted from a Stretford address on classified website Gumtree for £1,500, but has since been removed. It is not known whether this was a genuine advert.

Beckford’s hat-trick completed a remarkable turnaround for the 31-year-old, who only four months ago was contemplating the end of his career after a serious bout of vertigo left him bed-bound.

His contract at parent-club Bolton expires this summer and Preston manager Simon Grayson is determined to keep him. But Beckford hinted his time at Preston might be coming to an end.

When asked if he wanted to sign a permanent deal, he would only say: ‘I have enjoyed my time here.’