Dad blasts Joey Barton for 'bullying' his daughter, 17, after Rangers beat Partick Thistle in Scottish Women's Premier League Cup final

25/03/2024 10:30

Joey Barton criticised 17-year-old goalkeeper Ava Easdon after the SWPL Cup final (Getty)

The father of Partick Thistle goalkeeper Ava Easdon has slammed Joey Barton after he criticised his 17-year-old daughter on social media for her performance in the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) Cup final.

Easdon, a Scotland youth international who joined Thistle on loan from Glasgow City last summer, was in goal as Rangers ran out 4-1 winners in the SWPL Cup final at Tynecastle Park on Sunday.

After the game, Barton shared a clip of Easdon conceding Rangers’ first goal in the 13th minute on X, formerly Twitter, and wrote: ‘I mean let's just talk about the goalie! How is this nonsense on the box? #cosplayfootball’.

Easdon’s dad, Lex, a seven-time world kickboxing champion, subsequently hit out at Barton’s post and defended his daughter, who has made just 11 first-team appearances in her career so far.

‘In 2024 and ‘grown’ men still feel the need to belittle and bully a 17-year-old school kid, who doesn’t get paid to play,’ Lex Easdon wrote on X.

Ava Easdon was making only the 11th appearance of her career as Partick Thistle lost 4-1 to Rangers at Tynecastle Park (SNS Group)

‘Unlike some men who make the same mistake week after week for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

‘She has moved up from youth level straight into SWPL1, just starting out her journey. She’s made a mistake in her positioning 13 minutes into a cup final.

‘@Joey7Barton my daughter is young enough to be your daughter and you playing up to all your young fan boys won’t go down well with your daughters when they’re old enough to see all the s*** you spout on social media. Top class role model there, mate.’

ðŸ—£ï¸ “Brilliantly finished but that is what we’ve come to expect from Mia McAulay.”

This is how the 17-year-old gave Rangers an early lead vs Partick Thistle in the Sky Sports Cup final ðŸ”½ pic.twitter.com/S7QgUjxJ3w
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) March 24, 2024

In a reply to a user who pointed out Barton’s hypocrisy for talking about the women’s game when he has criticised female pundits for commenting on men’s football, Easdon called the former Premier Legaue midfielder ’embarrassing’.

He also added in a separate reply: ‘Just as well Ava is more mature and mentally tough than the lot of them and is actually laughing at the comments but could easily be so different considering the impact social media can have on people's mental health.’

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