The worst ever blunder by a goalie?

It is enough to make the worst pub team goalkeeper wince. When Aston Villa's Olof Mellberg took a throw-in in the 77th minute of the Premiership clash with Birmingham, it was supposed to go straight to his keeper.

Unfortunately it went straight into the goal, thanks to Peter Enckelman letting it slip under his foot and into the net.

The "calamity keeper," as he was instantly and probably irredeemably named, was left to look on in shock as the ball rolled away from him, giving Birmingham a 2-0 lead.They went on to win 3-0.

When things seemed as if they could get no worse, the hapless player's manager, Graham Taylor, admitted that his man in the number one shirt did not know the rules of football, which state that a ball going into the net from a throw-in is not a goal unless another player touches it.

The referee judged the boot had made contact, meaning the goal was allowed. If Enckelman had let it drift in the net untouched, it would have been a corner. "He doesn't know the laws of the game, he's an honest lad," said Taylor. "It was so extraordinary that I think it affected everybody, players and fans alike."

The Finnish goalkeeper was said to be "very, very low" after the match, probably in anticipation of the ribbing he can expect from rival fans.