TOP FIVE: MOMENTS IN FOOTBALL

Describe your top-five favourite moments in the history of football. This must be a personal discussion. Discuss.

1.David Beckham rescue's England's world cup: With Germany only drawing with Finland, a point against Greece will be enough to see England qualify for the 2002 world cup in japan/korea. England are losing 1-2 going into the third minute of injury time when they are awarded a free-kick 25 yards from goal. It was a 'roy-of-the-rovers' moment, it's now or never-and David Beckham bent the free-kick up and over the wall, the 'keeper never moved. 2-2 and the whole country went crazy. I went mad, got drenched in lager at a pub and spent the day celebrating.

2.Birmingham city beat Norwich on penalties, 2002: at the best ground I have ever been to; Cardiff's Millenium Stadium. The actual game was dull, it only came alive in extra-time when Iwan Roberts headed Norwich infront. Luckily for the blues Geoff Horsefield prodded an equaliser and everyone was nervous right up to and including the dreaded penalty shootout. Birmingham had been unsucessful in five penalty shootouts in a row (including one at Millenium stadium the previous season) but this one was different. Birmingham had the upper hand as soon as Nico Vaesen saved Mulryne's effort, Devlin scored for the blues, Daryl Sutch rolled his penalty wide and eventually it was left to local-lad Carter to take the decisive penalty which he tucked away. Birmingham city promoted to the premiership at the fourth time of asking in the play-off's; I don't mind telling you that I burst uncontrollably into tears and nearly vomitted with excitement, I got on the coach outside the ground, hugged my dad and then passed out.

3.Villa 0-2 Birmingham, 2003: You can forget your Merseyside, Manchester, London and East-Anglian derby matches, if you want a really nasty affair where it's guaranteed to kick off, before, during and after the game; look no further than the Birmingham derby, forget Graham Poll-phone Kofi Anan! The premiership newboys were expected to go straight back down, but having already embaressed 'the vile' at St.Andrews, the blues, visiting Villa Park for the first time in ten years were quietly confident. (I watched this game on the big screen on a pub in preston because I was a scared student and didn't want to be anywhere near villa park) It was 0-0 when Dion Dublin was shown a red card for headbutting Lily Savage (nothing wrong with that) and villa were down to ten men, which made it slightly easier for Kenna to supply Lazaridis with a cross to head blues infront with 15 mins left. Peter Enckleman's circus juggling-routine was hopeless against Horsefield who walked the ball into the net as the terraces began to turn violent. Police helicopter, Police Dogs and Tactical Aid Unit's turned up as pandamonium reigned at Villa park. Joey Gudjonsson then got sent off for a two-footed, studs-showing, foul. Birmingham had done the double over Villa for the first time in twenty-six, long, agonsing years.

4.Barnsley's FA cup run 2007-08: Underdog's seemed to have a free licence in the cup last season, not one big team from the premiership in the semi-finals, mainly because of all the giant-killing that was going on. Liverpool had a scare against a gang of plumbers and roofers and a taxi-driver only to face more 'easy' opposition in the next round. Luke Steele, the on-loan, third-choice 'keeper did his 'roy-of-the-rovers' thing and stopped everything that came his way and Barnsley went and scored at the Kop end in injury-time to go through to the quarter-finals, where Chelski would surely cure this underdog epidemic. They couldn't, because Barnsley beat them 1-0 at their 'ground' to clinch a wembley semi-final.

5.South Korea v Italy, world cup 2002: This game was korea's farewell match, thanks for hosting half of the world cup, well-done on qualifying for the second round but leave it to the professionals. Gus Hiddink had other idea's, despite going a goal down from Vieri. Hiddink threw on a load of attackers and the koreans, deservedly, equalised late on to send the game into goalden-goal extra-time. Totti was then sent off for diving which was a harsh decision and it was end-to-end stuff but no-body could win it, until Ahn Jung-Wan headed past Buffon to put Italy out and Korea into the quarter-finals.