2018 was a breakout year for young Northern Irish striker Gavin Whyte.
Having secured a professional contract across the water with League One outfit Oxford United last summer, the former Crusaders man finished the year with impressive performances for his national side, including grabbing his first international goal, 108 seconds after being introduced against Israel on his debut in September.
Unfortunately for the 22 year-old, 2019 has begun with a bit of ill-advised grabbing of something entirely different!
Whyte returned to Belfast on Saturday night, after helping his troubled side to a 2-2 draw at Fleetwood Town earlier in the day, to enjoy a night of revelry and relief.
But a quickly deleted tweet, that appeared fleetingly last night, leaves you in no doubt that things escalated a bit in the early hours of Sunday morning.
For those of you of a nervous disposition, it might be advisable to avoid the video content, shared widely on WhatsApp in the last 24 hours. In summary, the front man was filmed exposing a 'front man' of his own on Chichester Street, one of the city's main thoroughfares, alongside a male accomplice.
The Us have been quick to condemn the behaviour of one of their star assets, who has grabbed six goals for them since his close-season switch to the Kassam Stadium.
A statement released on the club website denounces Whyte's behaviour as "clearly unacceptable for a professional footballer" and assures fans that they will work alongside the Irish FA to ensure Whyte is "aware of his responsibilities".
Manager, Karl Robinson added; "It is totally out of character. Gavin is a quiet, respectful young man who is totally devastated by this: I have rarely heard anyone so remorseful for something that he regrets and knows he shouldn’t have done. Clearly he had drunk too much, and we will deal with that too, but whether you are a footballer or not that sort of behaviour is wrong on every level.
"We will sit down with Gavin today and we will remind him in no uncertain terms of his responsibilities. We have psychological and behavioural support here to help him get through this. He is a great kid and I hope the fans can forgive him for one moment of madness. ”
As well as toiling on field this season, the club have faced financial trouble also, and have this morning been served with a third winding up order since the takeover of Thai businessman, Sumrith 'Tiger' Thanakarnjanasuth, last February.
Whyte, perhaps unsurprisingly, has yet to comment on the footage.
