How Mail Sport journalists travelled 8,000 miles to present England star Anthony Gordon with stabilisers and a crash helmet after his cycling accident

England star Anthony Gordon took the gift of stabilisers and a helmet in good humour last week, following a bike fall that resulted in a large graze on his chin. 

Speaking during an England press conference last week - two days after falling off an electric bicycle while riding around the team's training base in Blankenhain - Gordon was still sporting the injury as he faced the media.

Responding to the first question of the day, which was naturally about his two-wheeled accident, Gordon revealed that he lost control while trying to film a video for his family. 

The 23-year-old was handed the safety gear by Mail Sport's Nik Simon and Kev Quigley, who travelled 8,000 miles to surprise Gordon at the Three Lions base for the exchange. 

The pair began their journey in Japan and were in transit for 22 hours before attending England's final group game against Slovenia in Cologne. 

The next day saw the head-to-head with Gordon, which was initially only scheduled to be the latest in a series of darts matches between Gareth Southgate's squad and members of the media. 

However, when word of Gordon's accident reached them, via Mail Sport's Craig Hope who had joined them in a pub that night, the seeds of the hilarious stunt were laid. 

'We were a bit worried about you so we got you these,' Quigley told the Newcastle winger ahead of his contest with Simon. 

There was laughter all round but it was Gordon who had the last of it. The speedster beat Simon in a close contest before speaking to reporters. 

Simon revealed that the task of hunting down a pair of stabilisers in Germany was surprisingly hard. 

'Most bike stores in Erfurt do not sell stabilisers.' He said. 'German parents, they say, prefer to throw their children in at the deep end by sending out their beloved on two wheels.

'So it was a welcome relief when Quigley and myself stumbled upon a set of 16-18inch training wheels on Friday morning at the Decathlon store on the edge of Erfurt.'

‘I’ll keep these by the pitch and bring them out for a celebration if I score,’ joked Gordon, whilst team-mate Cole Palmer poked his head around the corner with a wide grin.