Le Tiss in 18-goal send off!

MATTHEW LE TISSIER was given a massive tribute in his testimonial match at Southampton's St. Mary's Stadium, with a sell-out crowd of 31,904 watching The Saints hold an England XI to an outrageous 9-9 draw.

Many of football's top stars, past and present, showed up for the occasion on the South Coast - with the likes of Alan Shearer, Paul Gascoigne, John Barnes, Stuart Pearce, Ian Wright, Peter Beardsley, Chris Waddle and Jamie Redknapp all making appearances.

With the match referee being Le Tissier's brother Mark, who is a fully qualified official, the Southampton legend had brothers Carl and Kevin playing cameo roles in the second half.

The match was played mainly at half-pace and with a lot of amusement, especially in the second half when the goals started to pour into the net late on, after a more competitive first half that saw Brett Ormerod give The Saints a 1-0 half-time lead.

Following the match, Le Tissier was further honoured with a video montage on a big screen of some of greatest goals he scored as a Southampton player.