On this day: Matt Le Tissier scores stunning wondergoal vs Newcastle
Thursday 24 October 2019 10:49, UK
On this day in 1993, Matt Le Tissier scored his famous wondergoal for Southampton against Newcastle. But why did it almost never happen at all?
Le Tissier marked his first game back in the Saints' line-up after being dropped for the previous five with a stunning goal which would be replayed throughout his career, with another fine strike following later in the game.
The now Sky Sports pundit would score 25 league goals that season but his campaign had not got off to the best of starts, falling out of favour with Southampton boss Ian Branfoot.
"It's never easy being dropped, it's not a nice thing, I think I was a little bit surprised, I didn't think I was playing that badly to be dropped, certainly not the worst in the team," Le Tissier recalls. "I missed five games and we didn't win any of them, and that's why I got brought back in. It turned out to be a pretty big turning point in my career in the end.
"I felt like I had something to prove after being dropped for the previous five games, and the fact it was live on Sky made it a little more special as well. The chance to prove to him and the football community that were watching that I could still play.
Live FNF
"That game against Newcastle is one that gets brought up a lot even now, because the two goals in that game were both pretty decent goals. The first one was my second-favourite goal of my entire career, and the winning goal was in the top 10 too."
The goal would go on to spark Le Tissier's season into life. Having scored only twice before the Newcastle game, he scored 21 in the 30 remaining to help keep Southampton in the division by a single point, but the goal almost never happened at all.
"It looked like I might have been subbed," Le Tissier revealed. "Paul Moody was warming up just before I scored the first goal, and as I scored it the camera panned back to the dugouts and I could lip-read the manager looking at him and saying 'sit down Moods'. He'd been playing in my place for the games I was out."
In pictures: Le Tissier's iconic wondergoal
To hear more from Matt and watch his stunning strike again, click play on the video at the top of the article.
