The 2002-03 Premier League campaign was certainly one to remember for Southampton centre-forward James Beattie.
Having scored a useful 14 times in all competitions during the previous season, the striker beat that total by 10 goals during a term that would see the Saints reach the FA Cup final and finish eighth.
Twenty-three of those goals were scored in the Premier League, which made Beattie the highest-scoring Englishman in the top flight and the third overall behind Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy and Arsenal's Thierry Henry, who netted 25 and 24 goals respectively.
© Getty Images
That achievement is all the more remarkable when considering that Beattie did not find the net in any of Southampton's first 10 matches, before he scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
Next up was ninth-placed Fulham, who made the trip to the St Mary's Stadium 13 years ago today.
With 25 minutes gone, it appeared that the Cottagers would be heading back to West London with all three points in tow thanks to Lee Clark's deflected shot and Steed Malbranque's rising effort.
However, just two minutes after Fulham's French playmaker had doubled his side's advantage, Beattie set about dragging the hosts back into contention. His first goal of the contest came from the penalty spot after Alain Goma had been penalised for handball.
Then, three minutes before the break the former Blackburn Rovers man drew the Saints level. Fabrice Fernandes picked him out at the back post with a lofted cross, which Beattie nodded back across Fulham goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and into the far corner.
Now back level, there was only going to be one winner after the restart and fittingly it was Beattie that was on hand to put Southampton in front in the 52nd minute. It was another headed effort as he rose highest to glance in Anders Svensson's flighted cross.
Brett Ormerod made sure of the outcome when he swept home in the 72nd minute, but there was no doubting at the final whistle who the hero was.
Speaking with his recent ban for drink-driving in mind, Beattie told reporters: "It's been a very difficult time for me. I always thought that I was mentally strong and that it would not affect me. But it has. I know what I did was wrong and that I will never do it again. It was one minute of madness."
Southampton: Niemi; Bridge, M Svensson, Lundekvam, Dodd; Marsden, Oakley, A Svensson, Fernandes; Beattie, Ormerod (Delgado)
Fulham: Van der Sar; Finnan, Goma, Knight (Ouaddou), Brevett; Clark, Djetou (Hayles), Malbranque, Legwinski, Boa Morte; Marlet
Liam Apicella
