Former Sunderland player Connor Wickham scored a stunning goal in the FA Cup first round against South Shields.
The Forest Green Rovers forward scored a header past Myles Boney in the first half to give his team a 1-0 lead over South Shields. And he sealed the victory in style with a sensational strike from just the half-way line in the 96th minute. Wickham, seeing the goalkeeper off his line, shot from 50 yards and found the top corner, sending Forest Green into the second round.
???? ??? ????-??? ???? ?@ConnorWickham10 has just done the impossible.#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/vHiiT3WN5C
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) November 5, 2022
Bloody hell, Connor Wickham. pic.twitter.com/ZbmbzBTBtb
— Joe Crann (@YesWeCrann) November 5, 2022
Footage via BBC Sport
Speaking to the BBC post-match, Wickham said:
“I could see three or four times before the keeper was dead high, always off his line.
“I thought I’m not going to beat three people so I just thought he’s off his line why not try it.
“Thankfully it was kind of perfection.”
Wickham appeared in 120 Premier League games for Sunderland and Crystal Palace between 2011 and 2020, scoring 19 goals and providing eight assists.