Greatest Own Goals of All-Time No.4
If you start typing ‘Jamie Pollock’ into Google, the search engine predictive text facility’s first guess is that you are looking up ‘Jamie Pollock Own Goal’!
This must be particularly frustrating for Pollock as he had made 367 appearances in the Football League over the course of his career. He even represented his country, making three appearances for the England Under 21’s. All of this has been forgotten however due to one absolute howler of an own-goal that he scored whilst playing for Manchester City.
This week’s own goal came on Saturday 25th April 1998 and was at a crucial time in City’s season. The club were in the lower half of the table and staring relegation in the face. Relegation would mean playing in the third tier of English football for the first time in their 118 year history.
They were playing fellow-strugglers Queens Park Rangers at their old Maine Road ground. The scores were level thanks to City’s X and Rangers’ X. With a couple of minutes to go until half-time a long hopeful ball was chipped forward by David Bardsley from the right wing.
Bardsley had tried to pick out striker Mike Sheron, but Pollock was tracking back and managed to get to the ball. He had enough time to whack the ball into the Kippax Stand and get into a good position to face a QPR throw-in. Inexplicably, he decided instead to loop the ball over Rangers’ striker Mike Sheron.
The ball went over Sheron’s head and Pollock chased after it. City goalkeeper Martyn Margetson had sensed danger and had come rushing out off I line to get to the ball. As it bounced, Pollock jumped up and headed the ball over the advancing Margetson and agonisingly into the empty net.
If it was scored at the other end, people would have been singing his praises. Instead, abuse came from the City fans as the full impact on what had just happened began to dawn on Pollock.
Despite a goal from Lee Bradbury three minutes into the second-half, City were unable to find a winner and the game ended 2-2. The own goal from Pollock saved Queens Park Rangers from relegation. More crucially for Manchester City, it effectively sent them down.
Despite a 5-2 win away to Stoke City on the final game of the season, Manchester City finished 22nd and were relegated with 48 points. QPR finished one place above them and a point better off in 21st and stayed up.
Jamie Pollock is currently the Manager and Chairman of Billingham Synthonia of the Northern League Division Two. It seems as if the ghost of this moment of misfortune will haunt him for a long while yet!
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