Ex-Premier League star Connor Wickham scores halfway line screamer in FA Cup

Connor Wickham scored a halfway line screamer for Forest Green Rovers in the FA Cup first round.

The ex-Premier League striker headed in his side’s opener against South Shields in the 28th minute of Saturday's clash. But Wickham’s second goal will be the one that will surely stick in the memory.

The 29-year-old former Sunderland and Crystal Palace star capped off an impressive display with a moment of magic in the 96th minute as he opted for the outlandish.

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Having received the ball under pressure in the centre circle, a glance up allowed him to spot opposition goalkeeper Myles Boney off his line. Wickham then sweetly struck the ball in a way reminiscent of David Beckham against Wimbledon.

The attempt saw Boney scurry back to his line but to no avail as the ball dipped over him and into the top right hand corner.

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Wickham told BBC Sport his thought-process at full-time, saying: "I didn't feel 100 per-cent. I've been ill all last week, but we knew coming here we had to put in a performance, and it was going to just be one of those games.

"I've wanted to try it [his attempt] for a while now. I could see three or four times during the game that the 'keeper was dead high, so far off his line.

“And there I thought, 'I'm not going to beat three people, and he's off his line so why not try it and see what happens?' And thankfully, it was perfection."

It was a deserved win for the League One outfit against a gutsy South Shields team. Rovers were able to withstand a second half push by their seventh tier opponents at 1-0, before Wickham secured a satisfying victory at the death.

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